


Two sides of the moon

by Akira Moon (Akiramoon)



Category: Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Alien Character(s), Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Alien Planet, Arranged Marriage, Bisexual Loki (Marvel), Bisexual Male Character, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Canon LGBTQ Male Character, Dark Fantasy, Evil Odin (Marvel), Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Gay, Gay Male Character, Gay Prince, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), Healthy Relationships, Husbands, Indian Character, LGBT, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki hates himself, Loki is slowly learning to be a better person, M/M, Male Character of Color, Male Homosexuality, Marriage, Odin (Marvel)'s Bad Parenting, Post-Avengers (2012), Post-Thor (2011), Pre-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pre-Thor: The Dark World, Protective Loki (Marvel), Slow Burn, Slow Romance, naturefrost - Freeform, villainous loki
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2020-11-28 09:00:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 45,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20963921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiramoon/pseuds/Akira%20Moon
Summary: After escaping the Avengers, Loki finds himself on a strange crystal planet that is home to giant, crystalline beings. After stealing a small stone, he finds that by doing this he has won their prince's hand in marriage, thus giving him this planet's power, loyalty and throne. He could not be more thrilled to finally have exactly what he wanted.Their prince, Yuulmenieva'aery (shortened to "Yuul"), is a crystal halfling, created solely to be an extremely powerful fighter, blessed with both the ancient, violent magic of the crystal beings and the gentle, healing nature powers of his mother, he seems like the perfect ticket for Loki to enact his revenge.However... What happens when this marriage begins to blossom into something more than just a source of power?





	1. Arrival of a New King

Loki let out an indignant groan as he walked up the stairs, knowing that if he lagged at all he would simply be pulled along by his captors. His feet slid on each shiny step.

Looking down at his hands, the cuffs that bound his wrists together were made from a smooth, black stone, as well as the chain that extended in front of him. The chain was wrapped around one of his captor’s huge, crystal arms, the links clinking together as the crystal giant walked.

They were giants that were seemingly made entirely from black crystals, two of them. The stairs shook under their feet.

“This one… It is almost as ugly as the prince…. Wouldn’t you say?” said the horned one, who walked in front of the other, in a strange, shrill voice.

“I would say it is uglier,” replied the one that held the chain.

Loki sighed. “I can hear you.” Amongst the many things he’d been called, many quite true, nobody had ever said “ugly”.

Truthfully speaking, Loki was quite sure he’d be able to escape this situation without much effort. He’d gone through many handcuffs, chains and cells by now and he had a feeling these creatures weren’t aware of who he was. However, like with everything, Loki had a reason for allowing this treatment. Despite being dragged around like a prisoner, from what he’d gathered, he’d apparently won something.

When Loki first found himself in this mysterious land after using the tesseract to escape the Avengers, he’d decided to explore. The ground was hard and sandy in places, huge crystals jutting out all around, some rough and others more defined and pretty. He’d even found that there were patches on the ground that were like broken geodes and quite painful to walk on. Other than that, there weren’t any signs of plants or anything of the sort. Though did spot a few small, rocky creatures scurrying around.

Through his small exploration of what he’d decided must be another planet or even a whole other realm, he’d found a small, perfect sphere of a black stone. Of course, this whole damned area seemed to be entirely crystalline, so, at first he just kicked it away. Except, as it rolled away from him, he noticed it had the most brilliant, electric colours inside that glistened and changed in the light. Now, this caught his attention and he pocketed it.

When he was found by one of the crystal giants, taken to the castle and introduced to the king - who was the biggest of the crystal giants by far - he quickly found out that him finding this rock had crowned him ‘the victor’.

Victor of what? He didn’t know… But Loki certainly liked victory.

Although, he didn’t understand why they treated their victors like prisoners. Was it because he wasn’t a massive, lumbering, crystal oaf? Rude.

They reached the top of the stairs and the horned giant turned to him, almost blinding him with it’s bright, glowing eye. Ah, yes, that was another thing about the giants. Their eyes.

Loki squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. “Would you mind turning back around?” he hissed.

The giant remained facing him. “Do you understand what is happening here, ugly one?” it‘s voice harsh and shrill.

He brushed off the insult. “I understand that I am the victor and have won… Something. I’d love to know what that something is.”

The other one also turned, and Loki complained as it did so.

“Is that really necessary?”

It ignored him. “Our prince’s hand in marriage.”

They had mentioned this prince a few times. All Loki knew was that he was supposed ugly, although, if they thought Loki was ugly then who knows what the prince truly looked like. Perhaps he was more beautiful than any Asgardian.

“I’ve won… Being married to your prince? The one you keep calling ugly, or is it a different one?”

“The ugly prince. Our only prince. He is your prize.”

“Right.” Loki sighed. Disappointing… “Well, I suppose with that, I will be on my wa-”

The horned giant cut in. “In marrying him… He will belong to you, as well as his power and… Our land.”

Now… That sounded interesting.

“Power?”

“Yes, power… He holds the strongest… Bred for power… And our land… Rich…. Vast… Created from war…. This is a great honour, ugly one…”

“A great honour,” the other giant echoed.

Loki’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “...I am truly honoured.”

To his relief, they both turned back around and continued walking, leading Loki down a long hall. Loki looked around, admiring the walls. They were clear and shone with a whole rainbow of different colours, pinks, blues, yellows, purples, reds, greens… Pictures were carved into them, depicting crystalline armies destroying enemy armies, planets, monsters. Loki realised it must be a recording of their history. It reminded him of the paintings on the ceiling of his home. Well, what used to be his home.

They stopped in front of a stone door, at least twice the height of him.

Loki shielded his eyes best he could, muttering in annoyance as the giants turned to look at him again.

“Your prize is through here,” said the one that held his chain. “I will let you go now and you will walk through.” It shook it’s sharp, pillar of an arm and the chain slid off it with a loud clunk.

“And… Are you going to take these off?” Loki asked, raising his still cuffed hands.

“No.”

Great. Whatever. He’d play along for now. Loki approached the door, then paused. He gave it a push.

“I’d appreciate some assistance.”

The horned one opened the door and Loki walked in.

Or, well, he had begun to walk in. Instead, he found his feet slipping out from under him and he fell flat on his back.

Loki hit the ground hard. He winced and sat up, looking around. He could see the sky above him and feel a breeze against his skin. He was on some sort of large balcony… Or perhaps a very flat roof. He stood up.

He heard something that sounded like a horn, deep and booming. He turned to see that there were crystal giants of all sorts of shapes gathered below, watching him. The king was in front of them all, holding what looked like a glass flute. Loki had to look away quickly to avoid their horrifically bright eyes.

“Our victor,” he announced, gesturing up at the balcony.

The crystal giants erupted into sounds that Loki could only assume were cheers.

“And…”

Loki could faintly hear something beside him. When he looked, he noticed there were two large doors. It sounded like there was someone on the other side. Presumably the prince.

Oh, he hoped his eyes weren’t like theirs.

The doors opened and for a moment, Loki held his breath.

“My son, the prince!” cried the king in his shrill, terrible voice.

The prince stepped out from the doorway and all Loki could do was stare. The first thing he noticed was his hair. It was pulled back into dozens of braids that were then curled around each other, forming what almost looked like patterns. A large, black jewel was woven into the centre of them. Then, at the front, a few long strands hung in perfect ringlets, crystal charms hanging off them.

However, it wasn’t the peculiar styling of his hair that most astonished Loki. It was the colour. It was white mostly, yet had an iridescent quality, shining with millions of little flecks of colour. Like an opal.

Beyond the lightness of his hair, he was dressed in a long, black robe with long sleeves that reached the floor.

He stepped forward, looking straight ahead, making it hard for Loki to see his face. He placed a hand on the railing of the balcony, his skin was brown. Pointed ears stood out, reminding him of elves.

“... Hello,” Loki said.

He didn’t answer, although his shoulders shook a little.

Loki turned to look at the crowd below. There was a lot of noise coming from them. Then, the king called out, “Take off the cuffs!”

The prince shuddered, then whipped around to face him. Loki prepared to shield his eyes but was thankful to see that the prince’s eyes were not like the giants’. No, instead, the eye he had was black, the other… Was covered by an eyepatch made of gemstones.

He certainly wasn’t ugly. Defined cheekbones, long lashes, neat and thick eyebrows. There was a long, black crystal protruding from his forehead, some kind of horn. From this angle, he could now see that he had some muscle on him, broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

He was actually rather beautiful.

Loki realised he was staring and shook his head, offering him what he hoped was a warm smile. “Hello.”

“It… It’s an honour to meet you, king-to-be,” said the prince. His voice was soft and melodic. Loki saw that he was holding a key.

King-to-be? Had it really been that easy? Had so much power really fallen right into his lap?

The prince reached out, put the key in the cuffs, twisted it and they immediately snapped off, falling to the ground. Loki rubbed his wrists, relieved to be rid of them.

“Thank you.”

A sigh escaped the prince and he looked away, staring blankly at the giants below. Loki wondered how he’d even come to be prince here. Was he really one of them?

“The celebrations commence,” stated the king. “The wedding will be held in a dimanity.”

Loki wanted to ask what that meant but he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned to look back at the prince.

“You are to come with me…” he said.

“Ah.”

Loki followed the prince, only ideas of what power could now be in his reach playing in his head… And all the things he could do with it.


	2. Celebration Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki gets some time to talk to his husband-to-be and learn a little more about his planet.

The prince lead Loki through a long, winding hall. The walls, like everything, were made of crystal, clear and smooth.

Loki admired his own reflection in the walls as he walked, before he flicked his eyes to the prince’s, who walked a little ahead of him. He was walking slowly, his back ramrod straight.

He decided to break the silence. “May I ask your name?”

The prince replied, although he spoke a little too quick and what he said sounded almost like gibberish.

“What? I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

He stopped in front of Loki and looked back at him, his one black eye locking onto his eyes. “Yuulmenieva'aery." He then sounded it out. “Yool-meh-nee-va-ahh-ree.”

Loki stared at him, raising an eyebrow. Well, he didn’t know what he’d expected. He’d probably find that ‘Yuulmenieva'aery’ is a common name here, like ‘Astrid’ or ‘Bjørn.’

“I see... I’m Loki.”

Yuulmenieva'aery just stared for a moment, like he was waiting. After almost a minute, he spoke. “Just Loki?”

“Yes.”

“That’s a strange name.”

Loki bit back a snicker.

The two of them continued on through the castle until they arrived in front of a door, much smaller than the others. It was about his size. Yuulmenieva'aery, who Loki had decided he would refer to as ‘Yuul’, pushed the door open and stepped inside, then gestured for Loki to follow.

The room was probably the most normal thing he’d seen since he’d teleported here. There was a large, circular bed, a few tables, a chair and lots of books crammed into two bookshelves. Quite honestly, it was a mess, books on the floor and small trinkets scattered everywhere.

Yuul reached around and pulled the crystal pin from his hair, releasing all of the intricate braids, which hit his back with a soft ‘thwump’.

“This is where I spend my time,” he said, looking around the room. “Most of these things are from other planets. I’m different from my people, so, I need different things.” He looked at Loki.

“Well, I can see that,” Loki commented, a little distracted by one of the books on the floor. It was pink, with pictures of childishly stylised animals on the front. Odd. Then, he spotted a thick book titled “dictionary” on the table. Midgardian books.

Yuul sighed and turned, opening a large box. He began pulling out clothes.

“The… My people don’t cover themselves but… My mother always told me I had to, because I’m shaped differently, more like her.” He glanced back at Loki for a moment. “You look like me, so, I came to the conclusion that you would cover up too.”

“Yes.” Loki nodded. “I would.” Most of the time, anyway.

Yuul stood straight, holding up a long, yellow dress that was embellished with all sorts of gold charms. He looked at Loki questiongly.

Quickly, he shook his head. “Oh, no, no. Definitely not to my tastes.”

He put the dress down. “You will need something appropriate for the celebration…” he muttered, kneeling to look in the box again.

Loki walked over. “Are these your clothes?”

Yuul nodded, keeping his head down.

Loki knelt beside him and had a rifle through the different clothes. It was all a range of different colours, different shades and styles. A lot of them looked like cultural garbs for different celebrations, all taken from different planets, made for different species of people.

“Are my own clothes not suitable?” he asked.

Yuul gave him a look. “Well… I really do enjoy them. However… You’ve already worn them now, I think it’s better that we come back out with something new. At least, that’s always how I’ve done it.”

Loki gave a shrug of his shoulders, deciding to indulge him. “Let’s go with that green robe, then.”

Yuul pulled it out and handed it to him.

“Thank you.” Loki slipped his coat off, then worked at removing his breastplate and the woven leather that made his top.

Yuul watched for a second, flushed and quickly walked out of the room. “I’ll wait until you’re done…” he murmured as he exited. Loki chuckled under his breath.

Slipping the robe on, he stood in front of the wall to look in the reflection. It was a lot lighter than the thick, heavy clothes he usually wore, but still elegant enough for him. It would do. Before he called Yuul back in, he got out the tesseract, just to check on it.

Looking around the room, he decided his best bet would be to just keep it in his coat pocket. It wasn’t like any of them knew anything. To them, it would just be a boring, square crystal. One that glows, of course, but a crystal nonetheless. He slipped it back in and neatly folded his coat and top, placing the breastplate on top.

“You can come in.”

Yuul came back. He’d unpicked most of his braids now, his long, curly hair looked a little messy. Loki rather liked mussed hair.

“Where did you learn to do braids?” he asked, genuinely interested.

“My mother taught me… And I also like to copy the hair in the elven books that my father brought back.”

“Are you not part elf?”

He shook his head. “I’m not. My mother was a faun.”

“I see.” Loki had heard of fauns but… They’d never had anything to do with Asgard. They were a secretive people, only really caring for nature. He wondered what it was like, for a faun halfling to be in such a barren world.

“I assume you were created through magic?”

Yuul looked at him. “Yes… My mother and father created me with a combination of themselves, hoping to create something more powerful than them.”

“Did they succeed?”

“Yes.”

Loki grinned. Ah, an all powerful husband alongside being king. Could his situation get any better? Hm… He only hoped Yuul wouldn’t grow any attachments to him.

Yuul picked out a dark blue dress and looked at Loki, expectedly. Loki was quick to get the message and left the room so he could get dressed.

When he came back, Yuul was wearing the dress and had put his hair all in one braid, made up by lots of little ones.

“Lovely,” Loki said.

A hint of a smile tugged at Yuul’s lips. “Me?”

“Why, yes. You.”

He laughed. “My title is the ugly prince.”

Loki wanted to say ‘and they are all oafish piles of stone with hideous eyes and voices that could shatter glass,’ but decided against it. Instead, he went with, “Well, I disagree.”

As they walked out, Yuul looked less stiff. Loki watched him walking ahead.

“As winning your hand is so valuable… Might I ask why it was so easy? It was only a stone.”

“Oh!” Yuul stopped in his tracks. “That’s not a stone… It’s… My eye. I forgot about it… Can I have it back?”

“Your eye?”

“Yes. My father took my eye out and hid it somewhere treacherous, where it would be extremely hard and dangerous to find. That was the challenge,” he explained. “You must be very capable…” he added.

Loki decided against telling him that he’d just found it lying around on the floor and handed it to him. A part of him was a little disappointed he couldn’t keep it. It was pretty.

Yuul took it and then lifted his eyepatch. Loki averted his gaze.

When he looked back, he saw that the stone, now set in his socket, began to take the form of an eye again, the sclera returning around a black opal iris. Yuul blinked a few times.

“Does it not hurt? Having your eye pulled out?”

“It does,” he said, blankly.

Loki frowned. “I’m sorry.”

He tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brow in confusion. “It’s okay?”

“Well… You have it back now.” Loki continued walking and this time Yuul followed.

It made better sense now, he supposed. It was actually meant to be a big challenge, something must have just happened.

When they stepped outside, Loki had to put his head down to avoid the bright glares from the crowd of giants.

The celebration was very different to what he had been used to on Asgard. There wasn’t drinking, for one. The sounds that played throughout, which he could only assume was their idea of music, were loud and disjointed, like a bizarre clunking of metals.

However, he enjoyed being practically worshipped. Even with their squealing voices, he took great pleasure in it.

Soon, he had learnt all about their powerful army, how their culture was built on war and destruction. They had a few ally planets, where he assumed Yuul got his things from. Otherwise, they were mostly invaders and conquerors.

Eventually, Loki took a break from talking to them, walking around what would be the castle’s garden if there were any plants. As he walked, he heard a trickling sound, like water. Following it, he found Yuul, who was sitting by an actual fountain.

Emerging from behind a pillar, Loki flashed a smile. “Hello.”

Yuul looked up. “Are you not celebrating?”

“As lovely as the company of your… People are, I needed a break.”

Yuul turned his attention back to the fountain, dipping his hand into the water. A shudder went through his body.

Loki moved in closer. “I didn’t expect to see a fountain here.”

In the reflection of the water, he could see him smile. “I made it myself. It was a quest of my own… I wanted to replicate the water-shooters they have in Auriul.”

“Water-shooters?”

“Yes… This, it shoots water, doesn’t it? Water-shooter.”

“Oh. They’re called fountains where I’m from.”

Loki sat down next to him, looking at it. He could tell it had been handmade somehow, parts of it looking slightly awkward and crooked and the water seemed to only just manage to pour out in places. It was still impressive, however.

Then, he noticed movement in the pool and saw a small, round creature break through the surface of the water. It had what looked like flippers at the front and large back legs. It’s head was reptile-like and it was covered in small, crystal scales.

Yuul made a cooing sound and scooped it up in his cupped hands, carefully petting it’s head with a finger. “There you are,” he muttered to it. The creature nuzzled Yuul’s finger, then used it’s back legs to hop up onto his shoulder.

“What is that?” Loki asked.

“It’s a Terayph! He likes the water…”

He smiled. “I see.”

“The Terayph are currently dying out…” Yuul frowned, looking down. “My people harvest them for their hearts and… They do not listen to me, as my father’s word is more powerful than mine.” He looked up again, looking at Loki. “Now you’re here… You could make a change.”

“Well, I could do that…”

“Would you? It would really be good! I don’t care much for anything beside the creatures that live here, so, that’s all I’d ever ask you for!”

It didn’t seem like it’d be an issue. “I will, then. No sooner I am king.”

He beamed. “Thank you!”

For a moment, Loki smiled back. Then, he shook his head and quickly stood.

“I’m going to go back to the celebrations.” Swiftly, he turned and stalked off.

Yes, he would protect the animals of this planet but that was all. Loki already had plans for how he could destroy his enemies once he was crowned. He would make them sorry, all of them. Just thinking of it made him smile to himself.


	3. A Pleasant Walk in the Land of Crystal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki wants to know more about Yuul's powers.

Loki wasn’t surprised the crystal giants didn’t sleep. Unfortunately, he did, and it was rather annoying he didn’t have anywhere to do it. 

He wandered the castle, hoping in vain for somewhere comfortable to sleep, but only finding more sharp, hard surfaces. He was sick of seeing crystals. Everywhere he turned, it was a glittering, hellish wonderland.

Outside wasn’t much good either, as the celebrations were still roaring loud. 

He found himself feeling a little strange. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in a few hours... He thought of Yuulmenieva'aery and wondered if it would be strange to go see him. He had a bed, so, surely he must sleep. He wondered if he was sleeping now…

Coming up with the excuse that he needed his clothes back, Loki knocked on Yuul’s door. 

There was no answer, so, he knocked again, a little louder.

The door opened, revealing a wide-eyed Yuul. He stared at Loki for a moment. “What was that?”

“What was what?” Loki asked.

“That sound…”

“Oh. Me knocking?”

Yuul tilted his head to the side. “Knocking?”

“Yes, knocking. Like this.” Loki demonstrated a knock against the door. 

“Why?”

“Well… It’s… A question, sort of. You do it to ask if you can enter a room. It’s polite.”

He listened, nodding his head. “I suppose that is something my people don’t do. You can enter.” He stepped aside, allowing Loki into his room.

It was still a mess, with even more books strewn across the floor. Loki desperately wished he could tidy it.

Yuul crossed the room and sat down on his bed, looking up at Loki. His hair was down and hung in ringlets over his shoulders, colours sparkling throughout it. Yuul’s top was low-cut, showing his neck, collarbone and the top of his chest. 

“Ah…” Loki averted his gaze. “I just came to get my clothes.” 

“Oh, I put them over there.” He pointed at a corner. 

Feeling uneasy with the knowledge that Yuul had touched his clothes, Loki retrieved them. Discreetly, he slipped his hand into his pocket and felt the tesseract, cool in his hand. He shot Yuul a smile. 

“Thank you.”

He answered with a small smile. 

Loki walked towards the door, then paused and turned. “Do you sleep?”

Yuul raised an eyebrow. “I do. Do you?”

He nodded. 

His eyes lit up. “Do you… Dream? That’s what my mother called it. When you sleep and awaken in another world and strange things take place.”

Loki chuckled. “I do dream, yes.” 

“Oh! What do you usually do when you dream? I often get to experience what I really want to do, exploring other worlds, learning more about nature… I get to touch lots of soft things!”

He felt a little pang of envy at Yuul’s pleasant dreams. “I… Not much. I don’t do much.” He paused. “Soft things?”

“Yes! It is a rarity to find anything soft to touch here. I really like soft things…” He frowned. 

“Hm. I see.” 

“Do you have soft things in your land?”

“Plenty.”

Yuul smiled, a dreamy look in his eyes. “I hope I can see one day, as we are going to be married and all.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Oh, yes. After attending to those little mortal do-gooders, Asgard was next. Yuul would have the chance to see it all. 

“I’d best leave you to your sleep, then,” Loki said. 

“Right...” 

He turned and left. 

Eventually, Loki found a place outside that was at least relatively flat and that managed to block out a lot of the loud sounds. Using his folded clothes as a pillow, he dropped asleep. 

In the morning, Loki was glad to wake up to complete silence. He sat up and stretched, his joints protesting the night on the ground. Changing back into his clothes, he considered his next move. He didn’t know anything about this place. He decided he’d better talk to Yuul more. 

He walked towards the castle and was about to go inside when he spotted Yuul by the entrance. He approached him.

“Good morning,” he said.

He was on his knees, rooting around the ground with his hands. He turned his face to him.

“Loki.”

“Are you looking for something?” 

“I just thought I saw a kritia… But I lost it. Which is a shame…” A frown settled on his face. 

“A kritia?”

“Oh, it’s a tiny…. Insect? They’re very rare around here.”

He nodded. “Well, come. I want to walk with you.” 

Loki offered him a hand and pulled him up. Yuul fell against his chest and looked up, accidentally jabbing him with his horn. 

“Ow!”

He frowned. “Sorry.” He stepped back. 

Loki chuckled. “That’s alright. Come.” He offered him his arm.

Yuul blinked at him.

“Take my arm.”

“Oh.” He did so, a little awkwardly. With that, Loki began to lead him away from the castle, not that he was sure where they’d go. Thankfully, Yuul guided him into what reminded Loki of a forest, though the ‘trees’ were more crystals. 

After a little bit of a tour, Loki decided to ask the question that had been on his mind the entire time. 

“What sort of powers do you possess?” 

Yuul had been studying some sort of stone growth when he asked. He looked around at him. 

“Ah… I have a combination of my mother and father’s powers. I can manipulate the natural environment around me… Speaking to nature, my mother called it. As for my father’s… That’s more of a destructive sort of magic. Energy blasts, force fields, that sort of stuff…” He sighed, resting his back against a crystal. “I don’t use my magic for destructive purposes, not anymore. I’m a bit of a disappointment, really... I like that I can talk to creatures of any species, though.”

Loki frowned. His powers sounded extremely helpful, yet… What use would they be if not for tearing his enemies limb from limb? 

“Why?”

“Hm?”

“Why don’t you use your powers for combat?”

Yuul looked at him. “I… Just prefer not to.” He looked down, folding his arms. 

Loki furrowed his brows. Hm... “Well, you clearly have a lot of potential. Are you struggling with controlling it?”

He looked up again. “You have powers too?”

“Oh, yes.”

“I suppose I should have known… After all, you did win my hand… Even my people couldn’t do that, the obstacles my father set up were so deadly. It’s really quite impressive, especially since you’re small like me.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. Ah. When he teleported, he must’ve skipped the obstacles. Hm. Well, it wasn’t cheating if it wasn’t intentional. He doubted the giants would see it that way. Best keep it to himself. 

“Well, I am powerful. I could teach you if you’re struggling.”

He shook his head. “I probably shouldn’t say this but… I don’t trust my father with my powers. If I went back…” He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his face. “If I went back, it wouldn’t be good.”

“I’ll be king soon,” Loki reminded him.

“I know…”

“It’s your choice. If you want my opinion, though, you shouldn’t let your father effect your life. He clearly doesn’t understand you.”

“Why do you say that?” Yuul asked.

“How does he? You’re powerful, you’re full of such potential, yet he marries you off with such ease. Like… Like you’re a bargaining chip. It’s only pure luck that it was me that won his little challenge. It could have been anyone.”

“He marries me off because I am a disappointment. I cannot be the weapon he made me to be. He needs a new ruler and I am not fit for it. However, anyone that could win my hand, that could complete that challenge… They would have to be the most brutal, worthy person. He made a good choice.” 

Loki shook his head but decided not to argue further. He couldn’t risk looking suspicious. 

“If you change your mind, I will train you. Your powers can be useful. Some people deserve to be hurt.”

“Do they?”

“Yes.”

After a little more of a walk, which was mostly in silence, they returned to the castle. Yuul was quick to depart from Loki and despite the fact he shouldn’t, Loki felt a sense of guilt. He reminded himself that the wedding would be soon and then he would have it all. Nothing needed to matter besides that.

Anyway, Yuul would probably enjoy a visit to Midgard.


	4. The Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day of the wedding is here...

A dimanity, Loki had learned on the morning of his wedding, was a collection of days, similar to a week but shorter. He hadn’t been counting the days closely enough to know how many.

He’d been woken up far too early by loud announcements about the wedding. The sky was still dark and his body ached from another night on the hard ground.

First, he made sure his things were still with him then stood and approached the castle.

Inside, the celebrations were deafening, Loki resisted the urge to cover his ears. He attempted to get the attention of the king but was drowned out in the noise. Instead, he pushed his way through the crowd until he found Yuul.

Through a series of gestures, he attempted to communicate to him that it was too loud and they should go somewhere else.

Yuul stared blankly at him.

Loki sighed, grabbed his hand and pulled him into the hallway.

“The wedding is today?” he asked, still shouting over the only slightly muffled noise.

“Yes,” Yuul confirmed in a nervous tone. “It will be…” his voice was lost in a particularly loud drumming sound.

Loki groaned, snatched up his hand again and lead him away from the party. He only stopped when they could talk without yelling.

“Now… What was that?” Loki asked.

“Hm? Oh… It will be when it is light. You should get ready.”

“Yes, well, I don’t exactly have many clothes.”

Yuul tilted his head, giving him a thoughtful look. “You could borrow mine again.”

“Ah… No, no, that won’t be needed. I just… Remembered I do have something else to wear.” He’d summon some new clothes, he didn’t much like Yuul’s.

“Oh!” Yuul smiled.

“I’m still rather unfamiliar with your people’s culture, so forgive me for asking… But what do you do for weddings here?” Loki asked.

“Well… Normally, my people will cut a piece of themselves out and exchange it. However… I suppose we will have to do it differently, as we are soft. Then, I’ll place the crown on your head.”

He nodded. “Is that all?”

“Yes.”

“No vows?”

“What are vows?”

“Vows…” He sighed. “When you promise to love and take care of each other, that sort of thing.”

Yuul frowned. “Love? We don’t love each other, this is only an arrangement of power. We don’t have to take care of each other either. If you wish it, you could never see me again after this. The rights are yours.”

“Only mine?”

“Of course. You’re our victor.”

“I see…”

Yuul folded his arms, his eyes cast down. He lifted a hand and twirled a ringlet of his hair around his finger. He was very elegant. It was a wonder that he came from a rock giant.

“I should get ready, as should you,” he said, before turning and going off down one of the halls.

Loki watched him leave for a moment, just to make sure he was definitely gone, before simply shifting his clothes with his magic. He went for a simple, black leather top and pants that were both adorned by tiny, gold scales in places. Then, threads of black cord that were woven into an intricate design around the waist. After that, he conjured up golden, decorative armour around his arms and black, knee high boots. The real treasure for his attire was a long, green cape that was embroidered with detailed snakes in gold thread. Of course, he topped it all off with his horned helmet.

Then, he had to just wait.

Soon enough, the light began to rise up in the sky. It wasn’t quite the same sun, it was redder. Though, it was no dimmer.

One of the giants came to him and lead him outside, down a path and through a door into a large arena like space. Above, the giants were all lined around it, their eyes on him. He made a mental note not to look up again.

The door on the other side of the arena opened and Yuul stepped out.

He wore a dress that fell down to his feet. The skirt of it was dark blue, whilst the top was transparent and covered in silver bead work. The sleeves were long and dragged along the floor as he walked. On his head sat a large headdress, a disk that glistened with pearlescent colours. Chains were woven into the braids in his hair, tiny charms hanging off of them. 

Yuul looked like an ethereal bride that would only ever be described in legends. These garments were unlike any Loki had ever known. He wondered what type of people they originally belonged to. Perhaps each piece was from somewhere separate.

He stood before him and lifted his head, slowly, like it was heavy. His eyes locked onto Loki’s. Loki was so transfixed that he didn’t notice that the king was behind Yuul until he spoke. 

“As you all know, I am withering away. Soon, I will return to our natural state. Thus, we are gathered today to gaze upon our new king, who bested our challenge and thusly, proved himself worthy of our land. On this day he will be given the crown, as well as married to my son in order to truly become one of our kind.”

The king continued on but Loki had stopped listening. He mouthed a “hello” at Yuul and then smiled. Yuul flushed and looked away, chewing his lip. Hm, he hoped it was only wedding night jitters and not suspicion. 

After a sudden, loud applause, Yuul broke away from Loki and took the crown from his father’s massive hand. He gestured for Loki to step forward, which he did, pulling his helmet off. 

Yuul lifted the crown above Loki’s head, which at first made him nervous as it was so big, however, as it was lowered, it shrunk to fit him perfectly. 

There was more applause from the giants. 

Then, Yuul pulled out a dagger, cut from a clear crystal that was like glass. He lifted a hand and positioned the blade at the base of his finger. 

“Wait!” Loki said, quickly. “Don’t do that. I have a better idea.” 

Taking the dagger from him, he cut his own palm open, then he took Yuul’s hand and did the same on him. Yuul’s expression was blank but a wince still escaped. 

“We’ll exchange blood. That’s better.” Loki took Yuul’s hand in his, pressing their cuts together. “It’s more… Eternal that way. Better than fingers.”

“Oh…” A small smile tugged at the corners of Yuul’s mouth. 

“Your new king,” announced Yuul’s father in an awful shriek. 

~♚~ 

Loki looked into his reflection in the wall of Yuul’s room. The crown, which was made of jagged crystals, sat on his head so perfectly. 

The celebration had surprisingly been rather fun. Left and right, Loki was being praised. He was finally getting the worship he deserved. These beings were so gullible, it made him chuckle to himself. 

He wore a prideful smirk on his face as he studied himself. He really looked like a king. His eyes flicked over to look at the reflection of Yuul, who sat on the bed behind him.

He’d taken his headdress off and was now busy unfastening all of the braids and chains in his hair. He had already changed into a more comfortable robe, which looked like it was silk. 

The room was actually a little tidier now, much to Loki’s relief. The bed was made up with a new quilt. Loki longed to just collapse upon it…

“Are we to share a room now?” Yuul asked. 

“Would you mind that?” 

“No… It’s all up to you.”

“Let’s share, then. I promise I’m a quiet sleeper.” 

Yuul nodded his head.

Loki sat next to him. Suddenly, he felt slightly awkward. As it was their wedding night night, should he not be allowing his lust to take over? But, no, it didn’t feel right to do that sort of thing with Yuul. He may be using him, but he wasn’t interested in using someone in that way.

Once his hair was free, Yuul rested down on the bed, gazing up at Loki. 

Loki lay back beside him, then gave him a smile. 

“I’m sorry… I should have offered you my bed before.”

Loki shook his head. “That’s okay.”

Yuul rolled onto his side, facing Loki. “I’m not used to others that are like me. I’ve only ever known my mother… Or people that I’ve caught glimpses of during negotiations.” 

“Are you relieved to marry me, then?”

“Well… Yes. It’s a comfort that we’re so alike.”

“I agree.”

Yuul smiled, then closed his eyes. Loki did so too. Soon, he fell into sleep.

~♚~ 

The next day, Loki summoned his new subjects to give a proclamation. Yuul was by his side. “My people! It is I, your king.”

They cheered. He assumed it was cheering, anyway, it was hard to tell with them. He spread his arms and basked in the attention.

“Kneel before your king.”

They did so. A smirk spread across his lips.

“I thank you, truly, for your hospitality-” He raised a hand for quiet. “and taking me in, despite being an outsider.”

“However! My husband, Yuulmenieva'aery, has informed me of something that greatly concerns me. He tells me that an animal native to your realm, the Terayph, has been hunted to near extinction. This will stop, immediately.”

He paused, expecting protests.

They didn’t come.

He looked to Yuul, Who was beaming. His smile was wide and genuine, he was practically bouncing with joy.

“Thank you, Loki,” he said.

Loki nodded.

He turned back to the giants and stalked along the balcony. He felt the weight of the tesseract in his pocket and his lips spread into a grin.

“I have come to learn much about your ways. That you are a battle loving people, I feel it is fitting I lead you into a glorious battle!”

The sounds of cheers echoed off the castle. He allowed it for a moment, then raised a hand.

“I was greatly wronged before I came upon your realm. I would like to exact my revenge and extend my kingdom!”

He allowed the cheering to continue this time, simply enjoying their adoration.

Yuul stepped in next to him and whispered, “Where are we going?”

“Ah!” Loki laughed. “Of course...”

He quieted them again.

“We are invading Midgard!”


	5. Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Yuul arrive on earth, ready to put Loki's plan into action. Firstly, though, they must get back his sceptre from the Avengers.

Loki gazed up at the castle that he now possessed. It stood tall, in jagged shards of solid black crystal. Despite it’s magnificence, he doubted he would be returning to it at any time soon.

It was through a large portal that these beings would travel through to get to other planets. It seemed you could quite easily just tell it where you wanted to go and it would open up there. However, their methods were quite barbaric and a little too graceless for Loki’s tastes.

So, he instructed them that he would be the first to enter Midgard, that he would watch the Avengers from afar and get back his sceptre, then he would give them a signal when it was time. After that, they would have their way and the Avengers would be destroyed.

He’d been given a stone, which would supposedly send out the signal once broken. The army he had gathered muttered words of impatience in harsh voices, however, not one dared to question the orders he gave.

Loki was just about to enter when Yuulmenieva’aery approached. Oh. He’d forgotten that he was coming with him. He flashed him a smile.

“Have you travelled between planets before?”

“Only a few times… I have never been to ‘Midgard’,” Yuul answered, staring ahead at the portal.

“It might be a lot to get used to, in that case.” Loki straightened his back. “Come.” With that, he stepped in.

Teleporting was a strange sensation. It was light, airy and tingly, yet fast and sudden. As if you were a feather caught up in a whirlwind. Loki could remember what it felt like when he was a child and when he was still only getting used to it. It seemed so huge back then, so intimidating. His mother, Frigga, had taught him how to get used to it. Remembering that, Loki felt a bitter stab in his heart. He hadn’t seen his mother in so long…

Loki found himself standing, both feet firmly planted on the pavement of a city, a car rushed past, yet he was not startled. Mortal people passed him, going about their day without a single shred of knowledge that they had just passed a god.

Whilst teleporting, he’d shifted into a smart, black suit. He took a moment to straighten his tie and adjust his cufflinks. Whilst midgardians were nothing in many respects, he did enjoy their clothing.

He heard a whoosh sound behind him, accompanied by a small thud. Looking back, he saw Yuulmenieva’aery, who looked like he had almost fallen over.

“I really… Need to get used to...” he trailed off, looking around the city in confusion and amazement.

Loki realised that people were beginning to stop and stare. Quickly, he grabbed Yuul’s arm and walked him into an alleyway, shooting people a few casual smiles as they went.

“We can’t have you walking around looking like that… I’m going to shift you, okay?”

Yuul stared at him, then nodded. “You can do that?”

“I can.” He smirked, waving his hand, just for show. Before Yuul knew it, his hair had turned a dark, almost black brown and his eyes had turned a lighter brown. In place of his horn was a dot on the forehead. He now also wore a suit, although Loki had opted for a dark blue one for him. He looked just like any other mortal man. A fine one at that, as mortals went. Loki stepped back, admiring his work.

“Come on, let’s go,” Loki said.

Together, they walked down the street, albeit with a little too much stopping for Loki’s taste. Yuul stopped and looked into a shop window, staring at his reflection.

“I’ll change you back when we’re not in public,” Loki assured him.

“Yes… This is all very intriguing. I look so different… And these garments are particularly strange.”

Loki chuckled. "You look fine. Come, we have business." He took his hand and pulled him in the direction of Stark Tower.

He slowed his pace as they got closer, Stark had always been a paranoid man and would surely have security systems in place to warn him of approaching dangers. After that damage he did last time, Loki would count as highly dangerous. He smirked to himself.

Glancing around, he noticed a few security cameras. Perhaps they were nothing, but he wouldn’t take that chance. He flicked his fingers in their direction, presenting them an illusion of the same street, minus himself and Yuul, as they passed by.

“One of my worst enemies resides in this building,” he whispered to Yuul as they stopped in front of one of the windows.

“I’ve never seen a castle built in such a material,” Yuul murmured, resting a hand on the wall.

“You’ll soon see more of it. We’re going inside.” He stopped and thought for a moment. “We’ll need to find two people that work there, so I can shift our forms to look like them… We’ll have to sneak around for a bit to do that. It’ll be a lot less difficult if I shrink down. Give me a moment.”

With that, Loki shifted into a snake. He looked up at Yuul.

Yuul gasped, a big smile appearing on his face. “What sort of creature is that?” He knelt down, poking gently at his scales.

“A snake.” Loki slithered onto his hand and under his sleeve.

Yuul stood up. “Do I just walk in?”

“Yes. Try not to be seen… But if you are, act like you are new.”

Yuul took a deep breath before slipping into the building. It was fairly busy, with people chattering and walking around. This worked in his favour, as he was able to sneak through into another room with ease.

“He’ll be keeping my sceptre in a secure room. If we can find someone that has a key, we’ll be fine,” he whispered into his ear. Loki had secured himself a place on Yuul’s shoulder, coiled up beneath his clothes.

“This enemy of yours… Is he very powerful?” Yuul asked, quietly.

“In a way, however… He is still only a mortal. He relies on his technology to do the work for him. Take that away and he is nothing.”

“My father has told me of rulers that are the same way.”

Yuul went up a flight of stairs, walking past a group of people, who didn’t even bother to look at him.

Walking into another room, Yuul walked right into a woman and a man, who both donned uniforms that told Loki they worked here.

The woman, a tall brunette, looked Yuul up and down before narrowing her eyes. “You shouldn’t be back here.”

Keeping a cool, somewhat icy demeanour, Yuul replied with “Why not? I was told to find something.”

“Find what? By who?”

“That’s not your concern.”

Loki was surprised and impressed. He’d somewhat expected Yuul to get flustered when confronted…

The man looked at the woman, chuckling a little, although she looked completely unimpressed. “If it’s so important, I’d assume you have one of these.” She held up a card. Ah, the key!

“Uhm... “ Yuul turned his head, looking for Loki. However, Loki had already made his way down Yuul’s arm and was now on the floor. He slithered behind the people and shifted back into his regular self.

“I’ll be taking that,” he said.

They turned, both staring in horror when they saw him. The woman quickly reached for something in her pocket, yet she stopped, froze and fell to the floor, along with the man.

Yuul walked around, looking at them. “What did you do?”

“I just made them fall asleep. They’ll be fine.” Loki plucked the card from her hand. He then opened up a door to a storage room and put them both inside.

Shifting his form into the man’s and Yuul’s into the woman, Loki shut the door, locking it with the card.

“Now, let’s take back what’s mine,” he said, a smirk on his face that didn’t match his new appearance.

~♚~ 

After wandering the building for quite some time, Loki was frustrated. Why Stark felt the need to have so many rooms, he didn’t know. However, he finally had a stroke of luck when he found a computer.

“This should have the information we need…” He poked the keyboard. The security was surprisingly difficult to break, but he got there. This computer didn’t even acknowledge the sceptre’s existence, but by a process of elimination, he was pretty sure he found it. This room was a little big for a ‘supply closet’. “Okay. It’s on the top floor.”

Quickly, they made their way up the stairs and they eventually reached the top floor. Hearing noises through the door, Loki could tell that some of the Avengers were inside… Oh, how he hoped Thor wasn’t there.

There were footsteps, approaching the door, he realised. In seconds, Loki decided they’d better hide, suspecting that even workers wouldn’t be allowed near the sceptre.

The door opened and out stepped Stark, followed by Romanoff, Barton and… Ugh, Banner. They were all talking about something that he didn’t care enough to listen in on. Stark shut the door behind them, noticeably not locking it. If he wasn’t securing it, there was likely to be others inside the room still…

As Loki watched them walk downstairs, he had a realisation and quickly, he shifted him and Yuul into the forms of Barton and Romanoff. Him as Romanoff and Yuul as Barton.

“Are these your enemies?” Yuul whispered.

“All of them are. We need to act fast, we’ll be trusted in these forms but if they come back… It won’t be good. Just act serious and don’t say much, they won’t suspect anything.”

The two of them walked in.

Rogers was sitting in one of the chairs, Thor beside him.

Great. The last person he’d ever wanted to see today was his brother. He looked so smug too, drinking some sort of mortal beverage, his feet up on the table.

“Back already?” Rogers asked, looking up. “I thought you were getting coffee?”

Loki spotted a mug on the side on the table reading “World’s Greatest Hero.” Ah, that had to be Stark’s. “Yes, Tony just forgot his cup.”

Thor looked up at them, making it hard for Loki to avoid glaring. Rogers stared for a moment, then chuckled. “Alright.”

Looking around, Loki’s eyes fell on the sceptre, which was sitting on a table. Discreetly, he gestured with his hand behind his back, hoping Yuul would see it. Thankfully, he did.

Thor furrowed his brows. “I still do not understand that cup. What makes him so sure that he is the greatest hero?” He took another swig of what Loki assumed was beer.

Rogers turned to Thor, beginning to explain how the cup was a joke or something. Funnily enough, this was perfect. Loki flicked his hand at the sceptre, creating an illusion upon it. He gave Yuul a subtle signal and he picked the sceptre up. To them, however, it looked like the sceptre was still in it’s place and that Yuul was holding nothing.

They made their way out of the room, shifting quickly back into their previous stolen forms.

~♚~ 

Loki was relieved to finally leave the building and even more relieved to have his sceptre back. It was only a matter of time before the Avengers realised it was missing and they would likely figure out that it was his doing. Oh, they were in for a surprise, though.

Once they’d walked quite a distance, they shifted back to their real forms or, well, their midgardian selves, anyway.

“We got it back… What’s next?” Yuul asked, kneeling down to admire a flower that had grown through a gap in the pavement.

“We find somewhere secure, where we can stay. Then, It would be time to initiate the attack.”

“Must it be so soon? It’s going to be difficult to analyse this world when it’s being destroyed…”

He looked at Yuul and grinned. “Oh, Yuul. I’m not going to destroy it. Just make it mine.”

“I see.”

A man walked past them, stepping on the flower and crushing it under his shoe. He kept walking, only stopping to glance at his watch.

Yuul frowned. “Why did he do that?”

“Do what?”

“Step on it.”

Loki shrugged. “Midgardians don’t care about a single flower.”

Looking sad, Yuul put his hand over the crumpled flower and light glowed from it. Then, the flower grew again, bigger than before. He then beamed.

Loki couldn’t help but let out a small smile. “Careful. You don’t want them to see. They’re dreadfully scared of magic here.”

He stood up.

Loki took his arm. “Let’s find somewhere we can stay.”

Yuul nodded. “Okay.”


	6. Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Yuul plan for their attack.

It was fairly easy to find a place to stay. All Loki had to do was find a house with a ‘for sale’ sign at the front and hypnotise whoever owned it into giving it to them. The house was big enough, although Loki didn’t care for anything midgardian. 

He held up the sceptre, gazing at it with satisfaction. His mind went to Thanos, who he’d been working for before. A bitter feeling came over him and he placed the sceptre on the table. Some help he’d been.

Yuulmenieva’aery was in the lounge, kneeling in front of the television which was on some sort of cartoon channel. 

“Is this some sort of teleportation device? Or perhaps some sort of stone that sees into other planets and worlds?” he asked when Loki entered the room.

“It’s a television.” Loki had been a little confused about that too, once upon a time. “It plays visual stories as entertainment for the mortals.”

Fascinated, Yuul placed a hand on the screen. “I see. These midgardians are rather advanced. I have a few books from here and they always made me think that midgardians were rather simple. Although, I still don’t think it beats Exlectaion technology.” 

Loki plucked up the remote and handed it to him. “Press the buttons on this, it will manipulate it to do things.” He sat down on the sofa and watched as Yuul began experimenting with the remote, flipping through channels, turning up the volume too loud, rewinding and fast forwarding. He smiled to himself. Admittedly, he had been enjoying having a companion, especially one that he hadn’t needed to hypnotise or something.

Yuul had proven himself to be useful in intellect, too. He was able to create a map of the stark building from just one trip around it, effectively marking where the supposed weak spots were in the walls. How he knew that, Loki didn’t quite know. He assumed it was something to do with his powers. 

Eventually, Yuul settled on an animal programme, making loads of comments and asking plenty of questions about each animal shown. When Loki informed him it was real, he was ecstatic. 

“Tell me, where are the lions? I want to meet them.” He sat down beside Loki on the sofa. 

“That I don’t know. They’re not here, that’s for sure. I’m sure we could find one, though…”

Yuul smiled and leant back, staring at the TV. “These creatures are a lot different from the ones I am used to. It seems the midgardian wildlife is often furry…”

Loki nodded along. 

“Do any of these live around this part of midgard?”

Loki thought. He’d never really paid attention to the animals… Ah! 

“There’s cats, which are essentially miniature, less aggressive versions of lions.”

Yuul beamed. “Where can I see those?”

“Well… They’re all around, really. People keep them as pets and let them out, I’m not sure why they do that.” 

“Pets?”

“Yes. Creatures that are owned by someone and taken care of by them. Pets.”

Yuul frowned. “I’ve never heard of anything doing that. Are these creatures happy as pets?”

“Yes. Most of the time. If they’re well looked after.”

“Do you mean to say that some people don’t look after their pets?”

Loki felt regret. “Well, yes. I imagine there are some that don’t.”

Yuul stood up, looking enraged, it was the first time Loki had ever seen him look angry. “Where would these people be? That can’t be allowed to continue!” 

Well, he supposed his anger was justified. “I imagine they’re all around the world, Yuul.” He stood up with him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Come, everything is going to change now we’re here. Besides, I thought you didn’t use your powers for violence.”

“I don’t. I just wanted to order them to stop… Or take their pets away from them.”

“Soon.”

Yuul relaxed and smiled. “Okay. Can I see a cat now?” 

Well, there was no harm in it. “Very well. Let me shift you.” Loki shifted Yuul into his human form. 

“Loki… I was meaning to ask you, when you changed us into the forms of your enemies… The first one. Can you make me more like that but still me?” 

“Do you mean a woman?” Loki paused. “Well, really, there isn’t any wrong way to be a woman, however, I’ll change your body, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Well… Yes, I suppose? I’m just curious.”

Raising an eyebrow, Loki did so, changing Yuul’s form. Yuul looked down at himself and smiled a little. 

“How interesting… Would you ever allow me to experiment with your powers and analyse them?” Yuul asked.

He chuckled. “I suppose I could. Do you like this form?”

“I think I do!”

“Prefer it?”

Yuul shook her head. “I like both equally.”

Loki offered her his arm. “Come. Let us see if we can find some cats.”

After a walk around the block, Loki and Yuul were able to see some cats. Some were friendly and allowed Yuul to pet them, the others would run away or keep their distance. Either way, by the end of it, Yuul seemed content, having even taken some weird notes in a language that Loki couldn’t decipher. 

“They were so soft…” Yuul said as they came back to the house. Loki opened the door for her and she stepped in. 

“Do you want to be shifted back?”

“Yes, please.”

Loki did so, his mind was on other things, however. During the walk, all he could think about was that this was likely the perfect time to strike. He wouldn’t want them to be expecting an attack after noticing the stolen sceptre. Not that he felt like they had a chance against his new army. 

Yuul, now in his real form, placed some papers on the table and spread them out. They were his notes about the cats, Loki realised. He watched him for a moment. His hair fell in such lovely ringlets down his back, soft and shimmering. He was a beauty, really. 

He stood straight, looking back at Loki and meeting his gaze. “Loki. I’ve done more work on the attack plans. I’ve calculated that midgardians tend to be less active when it is dark, making them sleepers. I also think it would be best to attack Stark’s castle from the back. There were weak points within the metal there.”

He nodded. “I see.” Of course, he knew the humans slept already. 

Yuul leant over the table again.

Loki sat down on the sofa, leaning back into it and sighing. “I thought you didn’t like destruction.”

“I don’t like using my powers for it. However, I am married to you now and thus you have my loyalty. I was born and raised with war, I know how to go about things.” He offered Loki a small smile.

Loki smirked. “How perfect.”

Yuul paused. “The natural elements of earth, as well as the innocent creatures won’t be hurt alongside this, will they?” 

“They won’t.” Loki was telling the truth! He didn’t intend to harm earth itself or the animals. 

“Thank you. You will be a fair ruler. It sounds like Midgard needs it.”

“Oh, it most certainly does.”

After a bit more talking and planning, Loki decided that he’d order the attack late that night. Sooner than later was better, after all. 

He’d shifted his clothes into his asgardian wear, with gold armour all across it. Looking in the mirror, he grinned. He looked like a king, powerful and strong. Yuul stood next to him, looking at the reflection too. He was dressed in all black with accents of dark blue, silver armour across the chest and shoulders. He’d put his hair up in an intricate pattern of braids. They looked good together, the two of them, ready to go to war.

The two of them marched down the empty street and into the town, heading straight for the stark tower. 

Loki reached into his pocket and pulled out the stone that would call upon his army. He stopped at the back of the tower. He and Yuul exchanged looks.

He snapped the stone in half.


	7. The Beginning of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With his new army, Loki initiates his attack on the Avengers.

It was a beautiful kind of chaos. 

The sky tore open to make way for the circular opening of the teleporter. It was like a window into another world. Deep and vast with glittering hints of crystal.

Then, the high pitched roar of his new army. 

Crystal beings of all shapes, all gigantic leapt from the opening. The ground shook and cracked beneath the impact of their feet. 

“Loki…” Yuulmenieva’aery murmured, watching everything with wide eyes. 

“Oh, how wonderful.” Loki grinned and raised his sceptre, locking his eyes onto the stone. He could feel it’s power filling him all over again, strengthening his mind. He looked to his army and pointed at the Stark tower.

“Destroy it.”

The horde charged instantly, crashing into the building with satisfying force. It shook and creaked, the metal screaming as it tore, then, as if in slow motion, split down the middle. . 

For a flicker of a moment, Loki wondered if that had been the right thing to do. Then, his eyes fell on the sceptre again. Something shot from the rubble of the top part.

Stark, all decked up in his little suit. 

Loki grinned.

He saw Romanoff, Rogers and Barton, followed by The Hulk. They shouted things at each other, before launching themselves at one of them. 

Wearing a smirk on his face, Loki approached, slowly. “Well, well, isn’t this interesting?” 

They looked over at him. 

“Is this your doing?!” Romanoff spat, barely avoiding a crystal arm lodging itself into the ground. The Hulk leapt at the giant the arm was attached to, hitting at it, with little effect.

“Who else would it be, Romanoff?” Loki laughed. 

Stark flew around them, shooting at them with everything he could. He was suddenly struck with one of their arms and was catapulted across the skies like a little tennis ball. He hit the ground harder than one, though. Rogers sprinted towards him but found a giant standing in his way. 

All this time, Loki had dreamt of revenge and imagined it unfolding in many different ways, yet, actually seeing it was beyond his wildest dreams. 

The Avengers continued their fight, although it was clear that there was little they could do. Eventually, it seemed they were moving back. Stark had joined them and was, by the looks of it, arguing with Rogers. Instead of attacking, they were on the defensive. 

Suddenly, the sky crackled with thunder.

Loki sighed and rolled his eyes.

A lightning bolt struck the ground, leaving a dent. In the middle stood Thor.

“Late to the celebrations, brother? How unlike you.” Loki was quick to advance on him. 

“Loki…” Thor looked up in horror at the destruction around him. “What have you done?”

“What does it look like? I’m getting my revenge, brother.” 

Yuul looked around at them and came to Loki’s side, looking at Thor with confusion. “I’d advise you to stay back…” he said. 

Instead, Thor stepped in. “It doesn’t have to be like this!”

“And how else is it supposed to be? I allow myself to be captured so ‘father’ can have me executed?!” Loki glared. “You deserve this.” He raised his sceptre and fired an energy blast at him. Thor was hit and went flying but quickly recovered and flew back at him.

Loki dodged Thor’s attack, pulling Yuul with him. Yuul fell to the ground and watched, wide-eyed as they began to fight, Thor trying to hit Loki with Mjolnir and Loki firing off energy blasts at him. 

Distracted by his own rage, Loki didn’t notice the heavy footsteps of Hulk behind him. 

But Yuul did.

He raised his hands, sprouting a thick, sturdy tree from the ground and blocking Hulk’s attempt to smash Loki. Hulk shouted in frustration, then his eyes fell on Yuul.

Yuul stood up quickly taking a few steps back, still holding the tree in place. “Sorry,” he said. 

“Helping the puny god!” Hulk yelled, ripping free of the branches that restrained him. He crashed back onto the ground and charged at Yuul. 

Yuul dived out of the way, his heart thudding in his chest. “I’m not going to harm you!” he shouted. 

However, Hulk charged again. Yuul sighed and using the same tree, wrapped branches upon branches around him. Hulk yelled and began to tear at them. 

Yuul whimpered, beginning to feel the pain of the tearing as if it was from his own body. “Stop it… I said I won’t fight.”

Spotting Yuul’s distress, Loki caught Thor by the neck and flung him, firing a blast in his direction. It wouldn’t kill him, but... Just in case. He stomped over to Hulk and placed the sceptre on his chest. Hulk’s eyes changed to a bright blue.

He stepped back. “Release him,” he said to Yuul. 

Yuul did so, cautiously. 

Hulk stood in place, not doing anything. 

Loki grinned and pointed at The Avengers. “Destroy them.”

Hulk let out a roar and stomped off, leaping into the sky and crashing down onto his own friends. He managed to catch Rogers and flung him. 

“Are you controlling him?” Yuul asked.

“Yes, all thanks to this beauty.” He lifted the sceptre. 

Thor joined the rest of the Avengers, trying his best to help them restrain Hulk. Meanwhile, Loki’s army continued to rampage. The Stark tower was nothing. Stark’s employees were fleeing left and right.  
It didn’t take long for The Avengers to accept their loss and beat a hasty retreat. Loki let them go, watching with a satisfied smile. He’d enjoy hunting them down. 

Yuulmenieva’aery drew a shaky breath. “I believe we’ve won.”

“Yes,” Loki said, turning to him. Behind him he could see his army, the destruction around them. He took Yuul’s hand.

“It would appear we have.”


	8. Learning

Yuulmenieva'aery started his day by stepping outside into the garden, ready to do some research on the plants that grew there.

He knelt down, gently touching a small white flower with his finger. He'd seen a lot of these around midgard. Daisies, Loki had said.

He then turned his attention to a cluster of tiny, pale blue flowers. He hadn't seen them before... He got out his notebook, which Loki had given him the previous day for his research. Yuul did a small sketch of the flower, managing to draw it in perfect detail and dimension despite not being much of an artist. This was one of the gifts he possessed, a brain capable of rapidly understanding the different depths and elements of things... Especially things born from nature.

He put his hand over the blue flowers, closing his eyes. He began to connect with them, coming to an understanding that they were also quite common on midgard. He'd have to ask Loki what the midgardians called them.

The sound of the door opening came from behind him. He looked up, his eyes meeting Loki's.

"Good morning, Yuul."

He smiled. "Greetings, Loki."

Loki's eyes flicked to the notebook in his hand. "Ah. Making good use of that, I see."

"Of course."

"Would you like to walk with me? I have some things to attend to and I'd like my husband by my side." Loki had a sly sort of smile, hiding many things. He extended a hand to Yuul. He took it, allowing Loki to pull him up.

Behind Loki's grip he could feel the raw strength he possessed. It made a shiver run down his spine.

"I'll walk with you." Yuul said.

They left the house. This time, Loki didn't bother shifting his clothes, nor did he bother shifting Yuul's form. The two of them walked down the street, headed towards the city.

Towering above in the sky, the crystal giants could be seen in the distance.

Yuul caught glimpses of faces in the windows of the houses they passed, looks of suspicion and fear. He frowned. They weren't going to hurt any of them...

They reached the city. The remains of the Stark tower were still scattered everywhere, now nothing but pathetic ruins. The streets were clear, not a person in sight.

One of the giants, commander Ikamuirie'aol, stepped towards Loki.

"My king..." it said, sinking a little to look at Loki, although Loki didn't seem to like it.

"What progress have you made in these last three days?" he asked.

Ikamuirie'aol rose back up to it's actual height. "We destroyed the last area your enemies were spotted in. However, they still escaped."

Loki laughed. "Of course. Continue!"

Yuul waited until it was gone before turning to Loki. "The Avengers really hurt you a lot..."

"They... I wouldn't say hurt me. They angered me."

Feeling a little bold, Yuul asked, "Your brother... What did he do?"

Loki looked at Yuul, then averted his gaze to the ground. "Thor was always favoured over me. I grew up like that. Thor didn't do anything about it, he revelled in it, in fact." He laughed bitterly. "He is nothing but arrogance. I only ever wanted to be his equal... But instead, I suppose I will be superior."

He frowned and put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "That sounds terrible..."

"Hm."

They continued walking.

"I can see why he would deserve this..." Yuul said, thoughtfully. "He disrespected you."

"Yes."

It made Yuul feel anger. Their marriage might be nothing more than an arrangement of power... Yet, Loki treated him better than he'd been treated for most of his life. He took a deep breath.

"Forgive me if this comes across badly... But I think I would be better at finding the Avengers than the army. That is what you intend, correct? To find them and punish them."

"This is punishment, Yuul."

Yuul furrowed his brow in confusion. "You are only chasing them."

"Is it not more fun this way? To chase them around, letting them wallow in their own uselessness."

"Are you not simply giving them a chance to get stronger?"

Loki looked at him. "Oh, what? You think they're going to happen upon a super weapon that can destroy my army of invincible giants?" He chuckled.

"I suppose not."

"However, if you would be so kind, I would like help in tracking them."

Yuul nodded. "I will do that, then."

"You are so against fighting, yet you are so ready to plan for war."

"Well..." Yuul tensed. "I know they have wronged you and that they should be punished for that. Is it really a war when it is only a few bad people? Besides, I just don't want to hurt others myself. I don't mind if those that deserve it get punished."

Loki smirked. "I like you."

As they walked, Yuul found himself walking closer to Loki. Occasionally, they would brush against each other. It made him feel chills.

He wasn't quite sure how a marriage was really supposed to be. On his planet, the crystal giants didn't love. They didn't show any sort of affection. Everything was based around power and what would produce the strongest offspring. However, he knew that on other planets, they would link arms, connect lips and gaze at each other in a way that a part of Yuul longed for.

It was intriguing and felt special. Looking at Loki, he wondered what it was like in his own culture. He wondered what it would be like if they shared a bond of love, rather than power. He wondered if he was capable of feeling love, being raised in the land of crystal.

Eventually, they parted ways and Yuul walked back to their base. His mind was full of thoughts, contemplating what he could do, how he could find these Avengers.

He opened the door. That was strange, it was unlocked. He must've forgotten to lock it was he went out. He brushed it off and went upstairs to find his notes.

However, as he opened the door to the study room, he was met with the sight of Thor himself. He stared at Yuul, hammer in hand.

"Hello..."


	9. Oh, brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuul and Thor talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that I didn't post yesterday, I was very busy finishing Nanowrimo!

The first thing that ran through Yuul’s mind was to attack. It was an immediate urge, knowing that the man before him was an enemy. Still, he didn’t, feeling a hint of shame at the urge in the first place.

He stepped closer, cautiously, watching him. “What are you doing here?”

Thor took a few steps forward, regarding him with suspicion. He turned the hammer in his hand. 

“You were fighting alongside my brother. Who are you?”

“I wasn’t fighting,” Yuul retorted. “I don’t think I should be talking to you. Leave.”

Thor’s expression was tense, his heavy brows furrowed and his gaze cold. He stayed quiet for a moment, not moving. Then, he spoke again. 

“Listen… I do not know what lies my brother has fed you but the things he is doing... They are not right.”

Yuulmenieva’aery narrowed his eyes. “What reason do I have to trust anything you say? It wasn’t as if you were a good brother to him, was it?”

Thor looked taken aback, then, Yuul was shocked to see that he looked sad.

“No… Perhaps I was not.” He lowered the hammer, letting out a sigh. “However, that does not mean that innocent people can be hurt.”

“No innocents are being hurt, simply those that deserve it.”

“He crushed Stark Tower in front of you, did everyone in there deserve it?”

“Probably! Loki said so.”

“And how does anyone get the right to choose who deserves to be harmed?” Thor barked. “The homes of innocents are being destroyed.”

“No, they aren’t!” 

Thor walked forwards, somewhat scaring Yuul at first. He stopped in front of him, glaring. “Yesterday, one of those giants crushed a building whilst there were children in it. It was only by my strength that none were harmed too severely. These mortals have done nothing to deserve this.” His expression softened when he saw the horrified look on Yuul’s face. “I take it that you are not privy to the true nature of my brother’s actions. Quite honestly, I do not think he truly knows what he is doing himself.”

Yuul frowned. “L-Loki wouldn’t harm innocents. My people must be acting on their own accord.”

“Perhaps so.” Thor put a hand on Yuul’s shoulder, at first hesitant, then firmly. “Loki needs help… But enabling him and supporting him in this is not going to do that.”

For a moment, Yuul wondered. Then, he glared and pushed away. “What? And locking him up in a prison cell is? I’m not going to help you. I’m not your ally.”

Thor didn’t get angry again, however. He just sighed, turned and walked away. He went to the window, stopping just in front of it and turning to look at Yuul.

“Think about what I’ve said. You’re not doing him any favours.” Then, he jumped out from the window. Yuul approached it, just in time to see Thor shooting off through the sky, a crackle of lightning in his wake. 

Yuul had a brief look around the house to make sure nothing had been tampered with. To his relief, everything seemed exactly as it had been left. 

He did think about Thor’s words. He wondered what he meant, that this wasn’t helping. 

Factually speaking, this was what helping was. Yuul was tracking down Loki’s enemies, helping to bring justice. 

He went through a few of his files, arranging them. Half of it was to just pass the time, the other half was to get his mind off it. As he flipped through his journal, he stopped on a small drawing he had done of Loki’s sceptre. Yuul stared at it, frowning a little. Loki was very attached to the sceptre… 

He traced it with a finger, pondering over the blue stone that sat in the top part of it. It seemed to be of great power. He wondered if Loki would perhaps allow him to have a closer look at it. 

The door opened and Yuul looked up, listening to the approaching footsteps. Loki walked into the room, flashing Yuul a small smile, causing the dark circles under his eyes to wrinkle. Yuul frowned and stood, walking over to him.

“You look like you need rest, Loki…”

“I’m fine.” He waved a hand dismissively and put the sceptre down on a table. 

Yuul looked at him. “Loki… I…”

“Did something happen?” 

“What? No.” Yuul felt bad for lying, but by the time he realised he shouldn’t, the words had already left his mouth. 

“Really? You seem rather shaken up.”

He shook his head, composing himself to the best of his ability. “I simply heard something about the army destroying a building whilst innocent children were inside. Do you know of this?”

Loki frowned. “I didn’t know…” Then, he looked angry. “Those blasted oafs, are you telling me they are really not listening to my orders? I think I was very clear about finding my enemies!” He balled his hand into a fist. “I’ll have words with them tomorrow.”

Yuul stared at him. “We aren’t hurting innocents, are we?”

“No, we’re not meant to.” Loki sat down and sighed. “My apologies.”

Yuul sat down next to him. “It’s okay… You should rest, Loki.”

“Perhaps later…” 

Eventually though, Loki seemed to slip into sleep anyway. 

Yuul watched over him. For a moment, he wondered if he really was helping him. Was what they were doing wrong?

He shook his head of the thoughts.

No, it had to be okay. 

Resting back on the sofa, he looked at Loki and smiled. He then closed his eyes, finding sleep himself.


	10. Moving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuul feels that it's time they moved to somewhere else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little note but if you like my story, I would really appreciate kudos!

When Yuul woke up, Loki was gone.

He sat up straight, groaning as his muscles ached from his sleep on the sofa. He stood and stretched before rubbing his eyes. 

Yuulmenieva’aery’s morning routine was straightforward. He washed, changed, then got straight into work, analysing and arranging every bit of data and information he’d collected since being here. 

He had seen so many more forms of life on this planet and he knew that he’d barely scratched the surface. Today, he decided he would tell Loki that he needed to go out and discover more, so long as he wasn’t needed for anything here.

After finishing up writing a study on one particular flower, Yuul stepped out of the house and walked towards the city. Looking up at the sky, he saw that there were only three of his people there, towering menacingly over everything. He felt a twinge of bitter disdain. 

Distracted by it, he collided with something, almost falling back. He steadied himself and looked to see that it had been a young midgardian girl. She stared at him with wide eyes, trembling as she backed away, scrambling to her feet.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

“I-I’m sorry,” was all she said.

“That’s alright but… Are you okay?” he asked, stepping forward.

Clearly that was a mistake, She turned on her heel and ran. He watched her go, frowning to himself. He hadn’t even done anything. Yuul looked up at the sky, this time glaring as his eyes fell on the crystalline giants.

He continued his walk, making it into the heart of the city, where he saw Loki who was pacing, sceptre in hand. As he got closer, he could hear what he was saying.

“But what business did you have in destroying that school?” he snapped up at commander Ikamuirie’aol.

“It was in the way, my king.”

“In the…” Loki stopped in his tracks and looked up at him, then groaned and looked away when he met the commander’s bright gaze. “That does not mean destroy!”

“How come?”

“Because I say so as your king. These are simple midgardians, nothing more than a waste of time.”

“Yes, however…”

Loki glared. "They were innocents! They...." He trailed off as his eyes fell on the sceptre. “Cease this mindless chaos, I gave you an order! Find the avengers!” 

He stalked off, towatrds Yuul. When he saw him a warm smile replaced the previous look of rage on his face.

“Yuul. How is your work coming along today?”

“Loki.” Yuul thought for a moment. “I was thinking that I would like to explore more today, discover more things. Besides, how am I to track your enemies if I’m just staying here?” 

Loki smirked. “I was thinking exactly the same thing.”

They began walking together, side by side. Yuul felt that it was right, being beside someone like this, instead of trailing behind like he always had done before. He didn’t even notice that he was smiling as he spoke to Loki.

“I am beginning to connect to this planet. I am beginning to feel this ground, these plants, these living beings all around us. I think that if I could explore more, I will begin to be able to create detailed maps through my connection and possibly… I can track where about the Avengers are.”

“You could do that? That power you possess really is very impressive…” He locked eyes with Yuul, coming to a stop, which made Yuul stop too. “You’re capable of so very much, you know.”  
Yuul looked down, realising only now that he was smiling. “I have never thought of myself like that. Just deadly.”

“Sometimes deadly is useful. I saw a flash of your deadly when you were confronted by the Hulk… And I liked what I saw.”

“I wasn’t fighting then, only keeping him away.”

“Exactly! Which makes me think…. What if you had been fighting? What capabilities do you have inside, untouched, locked away?” He smiled. “I could teach you. You would be in control.”

Yuul felt his face going hot. “Ah… Thank you for that offer but… I’ve already said…”

Loki shook his head. “I am not aiming to goad you into fighting. However, I think it would be... Helpful if you had that choice. If you learnt to control it… It would always be there, available to you.”

Yuul thought. “I suppose that is true…”

“You are capable of so much more than you think, Yuul.”

For some reason, Yuul could really not stop himself from smiling. He met Loki’s eyes, finding that they made him feel warm.

“Thank you. I suppose I would allow you to help me control them.”

Loki grinned. “Wonderful! We’ll start when you choose.”

They walked back to the base together and after deciding which direction they would go, they began to pack everything up. It didn’t take long, since it was all really just documents and studies. 

Yuul stepped outside to say goodbye to the garden and to thank it for giving him so much to study. Then, he left the house with Loki and they went on their way, plans of exploration and bringing justice against the Avengers heavy on his mind.


	11. Training

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Yuul move to another area, where Yuul decides to take Loki up on his offer.

Loki and Yuul travelled in a combination of simple walking and teleportation. Half of the army followed close behind, causing them to be constantly followed by the loud thuds of their feet.

The other half had been left in the city, to watch out for the Avengers. Partially, Yuul felt that Loki had just assigned their posts there as a sign of dominance. Thinking about it gave him a twinge of anxiety, knowing what his people were capable of and not trusting that they'd follow Loki's orders entirely. 

In fact, Yuul could sense that they were already questioning Loki as a ruler. He knew how they thought. Any show of softness was the highest of disgraces and whilst Loki might be harsh, it wasn't enough. Yet… That's what Yuul was fond of. 

They were on a road, no civilisation in sight. In the distance were the pointed peaks of mountains. The sky was a pale, early morning blue and they could both feel the warmth of the sun on their skin. 

Loki stopped, turning to look back at Yuul. "Do you like it here? Away from the midgardians?" 

"It's certainly clearer. More peaceful."

He smiled. "It is a shame the whole earth cannot be the same." 

Yuul glanced around. "Are the Avengers likely to be this way, then?" 

“I have suspicions they might have a base here. Either we’ll find them or destroy it before they get there.” Loki’s smile became more like a smirk. “Try to track them.”

Yuul nodded. “Of course.” 

He knelt down on the ground, closing his eyes and placing both palms on the soil. Instantly, he felt life beneath him, the earth breathing through his fingertips. He focused deeper, then began to widen his range, catching flashes of all sorts of life above ground. Most were small and very connected to the natural energy, innocent forms of life that Yuul wished he could study. However, he continued to look for bigger forms of life, human forms. 

However, as he branched out further, he began to hit barriers of unnatural elements. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain and he quickly pulled back, snapping his connection.

“Did you see any traces of them?” Loki asked.

Yuul shook his head, taking a deep breath. Quickly, he stood. “I reached my limit, I think… I didn’t see any traces of midgardian life within the space I covered.” He rubbed his hands, still somewhat shaken up. He’d channeled a lot into the natural elements before, yet, it was a lot more complicated on this planet. 

Loki laughed. “They really are cowards. I suspect their base would be somewhere along those mountains.” He gestured with his sceptre. “Let’s continue.”

They made their way towards the mountains, where they searched. Loki was quick to find a secured building hidden snugly amongst them, although upon breaking into it, they found that it was empty, aside from some weapons and supplies. 

As they left the building, Loki had it instantly crushed to pieces by one of the giants. Shards of metal went flying and Yuul ducked down, only to realise that Loki had created a force field around them.

“I propose we rest now,” Loki said in a casual tone, dropping the forcefield. 

“Very well.” Yuul stood, thinking for a moment. “Loki…”

Loki turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “Yes?”

“I think perhaps you should teach me. I haven’t had guidance with my powers for… Quite a long time.”

“Ah…” His lips spread into a grin and he placed his hand on Yuul’s shoulder, his grip firm. “You don’t know how glad I am to hear that!” His eyes locked onto Yuul’s, filled with an emotion Yuul couldn’t decipher. 

“Well… When should we start?” he asked.

“Tomorrow. First thing.” 

~♚~ 

That next morning, Yuulmenieva’aery found that Loki was already ready and waiting for him. 

They’d slept in a small, transportable carriage-like room that Elonian’abi, one of the lesser giants, carried around for them. Sharing sleeping space with Loki was something Yuul was still getting used to, however, it wasn’t unpleasant.

Upon hearing Yuul’s footsteps, Loki turned to him. His deep green cape swishing elegantly behind him. Yuul was surprised when he realised that Loki didn’t have his helmet on. 

“Good morning. Are you ready?”

“Yes… I believe so, as long as this won’t take too much time away from finding your enemies.”

“Oh, what are they going to do? I have an army now, Yuul. Right this moment they are looking for the Avengers and my idiotic brother.” The way Loki said ‘brother’ was laced in venom, sending a chill down Yuul’s spine. 

“Very well… However, I think my powers might be different from yours.”

“It does not matter.” Loki smiled. “Magic is all intertwined. It’s a part of us all. I can teach you, likely better than most can.” Then, he turned away from Yuul again, waving a hand. “Is this not the perfect place for you to learn? It’s nothing but pure nature.”

Yuul nodded, stepping in to stand beside Loki. “I do feel a lot clearer here, yes.” 

“Come, then. Tell me where it’s the clearest and we’ll begin there.”

Immediately, Yuul knew exactly where to go and lead Loki down and towards the forest that was on the left. Truthfully, he’d been itching to explore it for the entire time they were there and he knew that amongst all of the trees and plants, he’d be at home. In fact, it felt like it was calling to him. He walked through it with purpose, only stopping when it felt like they were in the heart of it. He looked back at Loki. 

“Here.”

Loki nodded. “I thought as much.” He walked towards Yuul. “Clearly, you already know how to do a lot of things. Growing plants, communicating with animals, tracking life through natural elements, as well as the basics of magic… However, these are all limited, correct?”

Yuul nodded.

“Well, firstly, we could strengthen those. Did you know that there was a time where I could not hold shape-shifting for longer than five hours? Now, I have no limit to it. It can be the same for you, Yuul.” 

“Really?”

“Yes.” Swiftly, Loki moved to stand behind Yuul. “Firstly, I need to see where your limits lie. Grow something for me.” 

Obeying, Yuul held his hand out and felt for a suitable place. Then, the soil began to rise where he was looking, before bursting open with the green of a sapling which rapidly grew, spreading out into branches with bark and leaves. It rose higher into the sky, eventually growing taller than the other trees of the forest. Yuul gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes as the energy became more forceful, like he was pushing something heavy. The tree grew higher and thickened, enough to stand out, however, Yuul felt a stab of pain and quickly drew back. The tree stopped as it was. 

“Impressive,” Loki whispered. “How does it feel when you reach your limit? Tight, forceful, painful, yes?” 

Yuul nodded his head. “Yes.”

Quite suddenly, Loki moved a hand around and took Yuul’s hand in it, guiding him to reach it out at the tree once more. 

“Try to grow it further.”

He shook his head. “It… Will be the same. It’s grown to the fullest capabilities, it will be just as painful if I try again on the same tree.”

“Try to grow it further.” Loki squeezed Yuul’s hand. “Trust me.” 

Thus, Yuul did so.

From Loki’s fingertips, he could feel a new energy, cold and powerful. It seemed to be taking the pressure off of him, allowing for his tree to grow even taller, wider and grander. Yuul tilted his head up, watching in awe as it quickly became the biggest thing he had ever grown. 

“See… I may be guiding you now, however, this will be all you on your own soon enough,” Loki said.

“It’s… Amazing…” Yuul muttered.

Loki chuckled, moving in a little closer so that Yuul’s back was against his chest. He wrapped another arm around and took Yuul’s other hand. Yuul felt his face getting hot and his legs weakening. 

“Try another one with my help this time.”

Yuul did. This time, the tree grew faster, shooting up from the ground with vicious intensity. It grew as tall and as grand as the other one, then even bigger until Yuul felt that it was too large to continue.

“Isn’t it nice? Not being limited?” Loki asked in a soft tone. 

“It is…” 

Suddenly, Loki stepped back, releasing him completely. Yuul felt a flicker of disappointment, turning around to look at Loki.

“Would you be comfortable with exploring the growth of plants in a more… Combat focused manner?” He turned the sceptre in his hand. “Useful for defence, of course,” he added.

“Yes, if it is useful for defence then I’m… Sure it will be okay.”

Loki smiled. “Wrap them around me. Think as you would if I was an enemy about to assault you.”

“It won’t hurt you?”

“Of course not.” He laughed. “Just don’t squeeze too tightly.”

Loki stood in place as Yuul grew two plants from the ground, they wrapped around his legs and up his torso, then around his arms, thickening and strengthening so as to hold him in place. 

“Hm. Interesting…” Loki admired them for a moment, before ripping free from them. “You didn’t make them as strong as you did with the Hulk. Do it again. You won’t hurt me, I am a god, after all.” 

A god. Loki had mentioned that before a few times, only ever when they were alone. Yuul had heard the word in other cultures but never his own. Most of the time, ‘god’ seemed to be a word applied to something that was worshipped. He wondered if it meant the same for Loki, yet, in that case… He didn’t understand why Loki would be here, doing all that he was. 

Loki advanced on him, giving him a subtle signal to defend himself. A little more aggressively, Yuul shot out a plant and wrapped it around Loki’s body at a faster rate, thickening it into a tree and squeezing around him. He’d put more of himself into this, meaning that he’d feel it if Loki tore apart this one.

“Now, this is more like it! Well done, Yuul.” He stayed in place. “I expect you can make this as big as the tree you grew before?”

“Yes, that’s right. Although, I don’t think it’s necessary to do that now, is it?”

“It’s not.”

Quickly, Yuul moved the branches to release Loki, who fell to the ground with a thud. Yuul winced and walked over to make sure that he was okay, however, he simply picked himself back up and dusted off his clothes, smiling. 

“You hold a lot of potential. Now, I want to practice growth more, perhaps tie in some sparring if that would be alright with you. We’ll focus on that for now… Perhaps tie in your basic magic, too. The one you’ve inherited from your father.” 

Yuul frowned. “Is it basic, the magic of my people?” 

“Well… Perhaps basic is not the proper word to describe it. All magic is magic, of course. However, from watching what they do, it appears your people possess more common forms, such as force fields and energy blasts.”

Yuul nodded. “I would prefer to stay away from using raw energy.” He averted his gaze, looking down at the ground. “I think I'd like to stay away from the crystal powers all together.”

When he looked back at Loki, he seemed confused, however, he nodded and gave him an understanding hand on the shoulder. “As you wish.”

They trained for the entire day, focusing on the growth of plants and using them as ways of defence. Here and there, Loki peppered in little tips of how Yuul could use them to cause harm, just in case he needed it. 

By the end of it, Yuul felt more capable than ever before. He still was rather limited when he tried to grow something on his own, although he swore the branches reached higher now. 

Together, they went back up to where the three giants that Loki had kept with him were. Elonian’abi, Julaqeuna’lea and Yakauth’orel. Yuul went straight into their portable room, leaving Loki to talk about something with the three giants. Yuul flopped onto the bed and yawned, stretching his body out across it. He was very tired.

As he was drifting off to sleep, he heard the curtains open and saw Loki. He shifted his clothes to be loose and comfortable before slipping into the bed beside Yuul. 

“My apologies if I disturbed you,” he said.

“It’s alright, I was still awake.” 

Loki was quite cold in temperature, Yuul had taken notice of that. However, having him near him still made him feel hot, especially whenever they brushed against each other. Loki rolled onto his side, facing Yuul. He flashed him a smile and then closed his eyes, relaxing into the bed. Subtly, Yuul shifted closer to him, closing his eyes and joining him in rest.


	12. A prisoner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of the Avengers is captured by Loki and Yuul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update yet again. I keep finding myself busy on Saturdays! Just... Assume I'll either update on Saturday or Sunday at this rate. Sorry, everyone!

A week, Yuul had finally come to understand, was a collection of days similar to a Dimanity, only longer. He'd learnt this when Loki had described their time training together using it. 

That week, they'd trained every day. Each time, Loki would get close to Yuul, touch his hands and share energies with him. Thus, Yuul gained a whole new appreciation and love of his powers, even if they only focused on the faun side. 

He began to notice that his trees grew taller, even when he was doing it all on his own. It took longer for it to hurt, even then, he found it easier to power through the pain. One time, he grew two at once, extending them past the pain. He’d expected Loki to be happy, but he had scolded him.

"Don't overdo it. You don't want to lose control," he had said. "If it hurts, that is a sign to stop."

When he spoke about these things, his voice was collected and calm, sure of itself. Perhaps stern at times. Yuul found he quite liked it. 

Yuulmenieva'aery had just gotten dressed. It was simple enough, white shirt tucked into black trousers. He'd left the shirt open, as he found he preferred it that way. Perhaps it made him look a little less like the ugly prince. Passing the small mirror, he gave himself one last look. He swore his arms rippled more beneath his sleeves. He lifted an arm, watching the muscles naturally flex from the motion. He’d felt stronger… But to look stronger on top of that felt good. 

Smiling to himself, he stepped out.

~♚~ 

Loki was sitting at the edge of a cliff that jutted out from the mountain. The sky above was a light blue, striped with whispy clouds.

Despite the delicate prettiness of the view, Loki could only glare at it. At night, he had been tormented with nightmares. One recurring one was where he was back in Asgard, standing before his father. His hands were blue, with faint, intricate lines of a lighter blue threading in patterns across them. His eyes stung with tears, his chest twisting in rage. 

All over again, he begged to know the truth of his identity. 

The answer was different each time. 

Sometimes, he was a monster, a bargaining chip, another thing to show off. Other times, just a defenceless baby that Odin had taken in through the kindness of his own heart. In a way, Loki felt that both were true. 

Either way, no matter how it went, he was not his father. He never was. 

Loki gasped as he realised a tear was slipping down his face. Quickly, he flicked it away with a hand.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned, seeing that it was Yuul. He quickly forced a smile and stood, stumbling ever so slightly. Damn. He hoped Yuul hadn't noticed. 

"Good morning, Loki!" Yuul beamed. "Time to train, I assume?" 

Loki nodded. Yuul's abilities really were impressive. He was enjoying watching them flourish. 

Together, they started down the mountain towards the forest. Loki already had an idea about what he would teach Yuul today. He’d make a start on better defences and sharpening his reflexes, after all, one must always be prepared for an attack from nowhere.

However, just as they were on their way to the usual spot they trained at, the ground shook with a familiar, loud thud. Loki steadied himself on a tree and glanced up, seeing that one of the giants he had sent out had returned. Yuul was looking too, his brows cast down, mouth frowning.

“Ah… I should tend to that. Forgive me, Yuul. We’ll train afterwards.” He turned, hastily moving back towards the mountain. Thankfully, the giant saw him and stomped towards him, closing the distance between them with only a few steps. It bowed. 

“What news do you have?” Loki asked. He didn’t quite remember the name for any of the giants. In fact, he only recognised this particular one because of the distinct crack across its head. 

“My king,” the giant started, rising to stand straight up. “We have captured someone that we believe to be an enemy. I have brought them back, alive as ordered.”

Loki grinned. “Well?” He beckoned the giant to show him.

The giant reached back, lifting something from its back. As it brought its arm back around and began to lower it, Loki saw that it held a cage. On closer inspection, he saw that it was Stark himself in it. He was slumped against the bars, a few purple bruises on what little skin was exposed. Loki chuckled.

He lifted his head, eyes weakly locking onto Loki. 

“H-Hey,” he managed to say, slurring the word. His eyes were heavy lidded and unfocused.

“Why, hello there.” Loki stepped in close, smirking down at him. “You’ve seen better days, haven’t you?”

He snorted and let out a groan. “I’ll have you know I’ve never looked better, Loki. Can’t say the same for you...”

Loki arched a brow, not allowing his smirk to drop. “Oh? And who is it behind the bars, Stark?”

To that, Stark didn’t reply. He rested back down against the bars, shifting in discomfort. Loki found great joy in seeing just how weak he was. He was just about to order the giant to take hold of the cage again, when Stark spoke again.

“I see you’ve got… A unicorn on your side,” he said.

“A unicorn?” Loki narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Stark slowly raised an arm and pointed. Loki turned to see that Yuulmenieva’aery was there, watching the situation. Confusion crossed his features.

“He’s not…” Loki turned to look at Stark again. “He’s not a unicorn.”

“Got the horn.” Stark tapped his forehead with a shaking finger. 

Loki shook his head, eyes still narrow. “He’s my husband.” 

He snorted. “You must be… Very much in love.”

Ignoring his tone, Loki turned to the giant. “Keep him on you. I will decide what to do with him another time.” 

Stark didn’t say anything as the giant picked his cage back up. However, he did glance at Yuul one last time, which Loki decided probably wasn’t for any particular reason. Stark would make good bait, if nothing else. 

Yuul stepped in beside him once the giant had stomped off to the mountain. He smiled at Loki. “What will you do with him?”

“Perhaps use him to lure the rest. I haven’t fully decided.”

There was a small pause. 

“What is a unicorn?”

“Ah. It’s… You remember what a horse is, yes?”

“Yes.”

“Well, a unicorn is a horse with a horn on its head, much like yours.”

“Oh! I see…” Yuul reached up, touching his horn. It was smooth, a deep black that had the faintest hints of opalescent colours within. Loki found it to be quite transfixing up close. 

Shaking his head, he took Yuul’s hand. “Come, we can train now.”

Yuul’s smile widened. “Yes.”

~♚~ 

After a good few hours of training, Loki sat with Yuul under one of the trees they’d grown together. It was so grand that it reminded Loki of the trees in Asgard, which grew the divinest of fruits that would shimmer in gold. He thought about how much Yuul would love to see the Asgardian gardens. Of course, he would show him. All in good time.

Loki had noticed that Yuul’s reflexes were certainly becoming more refined, although they still needed work. Several times, Loki knew that he could have caused a considerable amount of damage had he really been attacking him. Thinking of it gave him a sense of unease.

Yuul was running his hand through the grass in front of them, humming a strange tune to himself. Then, he grew out a flower. It was a single forget-me-not, delicate and perfect.

“Ah, a forget-me-not,” Loki commented.

Yuul looked up. “Is that what these are called?”

“Yes.”

He smiled. “A strange name. I wonder why…” 

Loki looked at him, taking a moment to really study him. He was a pretty thing. In fact, he’d only gotten prettier, as he smiled more often these days. It was strange to think that they were married, although Loki swore to himself that he wouldn’t let it get further than just partners in revenge. Once everything was done, he imagined he and Yuul would go their separate ways. Perhaps he could give Yuul sole power over his own planet. 

He looked down at the forget-me-not and watched as Yuul grew another.


	13. Doubting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Yuul have their own doubts... But find themselves getting closer to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all had a good new years! I took a break for it but I am back now!

After another training session, Loki and Yuulmenieva’aery returned to the mountains where Loki was quick to break away from Yuul in order to talk to the crystal giant there. So, Yuul made his own way towards the cliff edge, eager to look upon the view as he rested. It had been a more intense session than usual, with harder physical contact. Whilst Loki was careful with him, his attacks had come from a brute force direction rather than a magical one for once. He didn’t mind it, however. It only helped him learn even more ways of defence.

“Hey, unicorn.”

Yuul stopped, his pointed ears pricking upwards as he registered where the voice had come from. He turned, meeting the weak eyes of Loki’s prisoner. He was still caged and still looked dreadful. He almost felt a twinge of sympathy. Almost.

Against his better judgement, he replied. “I am not a unicorn.”

The man, who was called Stark, if Yuul remembered correctly, made an attempt to straighten his back, giving a breathy laugh. “You’ve got the horn.”

“I am part faun. That is why.”

“Eh, faun… Unicorn… All magical fairy creatures at the end of the day.” Stark raised his hands, then groaned.

Yuul thought about turning and continuing on his way, however, he instead approached the cage, sitting in front of it. “What is it that you want?” he asked, thinking that he could perhaps try to get information out of him.

“Just wanted to…. Get to know you! You are… Married to my enemy, of course.“

Yuul narrowed his eyes at him. “Loki would not be your enemy if you would just be better. Perhaps he will forgive you.”

Stark snorted. “You think this is our fault?”

“Yes. How is it not?”

“Loki comes to earth, destroys buildings, puts the lives of innocents at risk-”

“That was the fault of my people. He never commanded them to harm innocents. He told them not to,” Yuul said in a tone as cutting as the blades Loki used.

“What about his first ‘visit’?”

“He wouldn’t have harmed innocents then.”

Stark raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Ask him. He’s out of…” He trailed off into a coughing fit. “He’s out of control. Especially when he has that damn stick he loves to wave around.”

“The scepter?”

“Yeah. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it screws with his head.”

Yuul frowned. In truth, he had noticed that Loki seemed to be more unstable since he had retrieved the scepter. He would stare into it in a way that made a chill creep down his spine. He had it at all times. Clung to it.

He reached down and pulled off one of his gloves, realising that his hands had gotten hot under them. Once they were both free from the leather, he rubbed the sweat from his palms off on the fabric of his trousers, then winced in realisation that he hated the sensation. 

When he turned his attention back to Stark, he saw that he’d slipped back into unconsciousness. Yuul sighed and stood.

He went to the cliff and sat down at the edge, looking out at the sky, deep in his thoughts. Perhaps the scepter wasn’t good… But Loki was. He was certain of that. Loki just wanted to teach them a lesson, punish them for imprisoning him. Loki would be a good ruler, a fair one. Besides, it wasn’t as if he was staying on Midgard. 

His thoughts shifted to Asgard.. He wondered what it would be like.

~♚~ 

In the middle of the night, Loki awoke with a start, sitting up and whipping his head around to observe the room. His heart was pounding in his chest, for a moment sounding like that of Asgardian battle drums. 

His eyes flicked over to the person that was in bed with him. 

Yuulmenieva’aery.

The feeling of gut wrenching dread subsided and Loki slowly sank back down onto the bed, rolling onto his side to face him.

It had been another nightmare, yet.. It was different. Worse. 

Loki had been standing at the front of an entire army of unspeakable, horrific creatures found in the darkest corners of the universe. He could still sense the presence of bone, slippery skin and poisonous breath. 

Laid out before him was Asgard, gleaming in all its golden glory. Pristine and beautiful. 

And within a flash, it was a broken, burning mess, overrun by the nightmarish army he had brought to it. The creatures tore people limb from limb, unrelenting and without a shred of mercy. Corpses lay at his feet, faces he’d once seen laughing at gatherings and feasts, now blank and lifeless. 

It had been his doing. All of it. 

Yet, he didn’t want that. Not that. Even when at times he thought he did, he swore that wasn’t him. Yet, the sickening possibility still played in his head. Perhaps it was him. Perhaps his father was right to have feared his power all along. Loki wondered if it was worth going back at all. After all, to punish his father, wouldn’t he only be proving him right?

“Loki…” 

Loki looked up to meet Yuul’s eyes. They were tired, yet focused on him. He blinked and smiled. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Before Loki could stop himself, he responded with a “no.” Then, quickly, he attempted to fix it. “I am! I’m just…”

Yuul shifted, partially sitting up to keep himself awake. “What’s wrong, Loki? I can see something is the matter.”

Loki felt himself go red and he averted his gaze. Intimacy of any sort felt… Unusual to him. Uncomfortable. Even if Yuul was technically his husband. “It’s nothing. Just a dream that was far from pleasant, that is all.” 

He nodded, a frown on his face. “I see. It wasn’t real then, Loki.”

Loki laughed bitterly. “Is it not? Because it felt so.”

Yuul shook his head. “It was only a dream.”

Despite the fact Yuul really did not understand the specific problem with this nightmare, Loki still felt comfort in his words. He didn’t have control in his dreams… But he had control in his life. Never would he be to that extent of evil. Asgard could be his to rule over, not destroy. 

Rather by accident, his hand found Yuul’s underneath the covers. At first, he stopped. However, he found that Yuul didn’t move his away. So, with hesitance, Loki took his hand in his, brushing over the top of it with his fingers. Yuul’s hands were soft in his, comfortingly warm. 

Yuul moved closer to him, resting his head down on the pillow again. Their bodies brushed a little, however, it was still only at the hands that they met. Still, he could feel his body heat and he wished he could just wrap himself in it. Yuul wasn’t his husband in that sense though. 

It was better to keep it that way.


	14. Visiting Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki and Yuul return to his planet to check things.

Loki could tell Yuul wasn’t happy with the idea of returning to his home planet. 

He’d been watching him get ready for the day. Yuul buttoned up his shirt in a careful way, as if he had never quite gotten used to it. He had quite delicate looking fingers, it was amazing to think of the powerful magic that could spring from their tips. Yuul had just been putting his hair into a plait when Loki spoke.

“I think we’ll return, at least for today. After all, I have to give some attention to my kingdom.”

For a moment, Loki could see Yuul stiffen. He then turned to meet his eyes, his curls already unravelling out of their loose arrangement. 

“I see.” 

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Is there a problem with it?”

Yuul quickly shook his head. “No. You are right, we should return. Just for the day?”

“I see no reason why I would stay longer.”

He frowned, quickly turning away again to continue with his hair. However, he seemingly gave up and tied it back instead. 

After, Loki stepped outside and surveyed the world around. He felt powerful, more powerful than he’d ever felt. The crystalline planet was his and now Midgard was too. Soon, Asgard would follow and with it, the rest of the nine realms. Not only king of the nine realms, he'd expanded on it. Once everyone calmed down, they’d see how great of a ruler he was.

He opened a connection to commander Ikamuirie’aol, specifically to order that the army watch Earth in his absence and continue to follow his instructions. Then, he ordered the crystal giant that was with them to watch over Stark and make sure that he didn’t do anything, not that he could.

After that was done, Loki waited for Yuul to join him, then together they teleported. 

Once they were there, Yuul fell against Loki, still unsteady on his feet after teleportation. Loki offered him a smile and petted his hair. They locked eyes for a moment and Loki ceased to think of much else. Yuul smiled, relaxing and moving a little closer.

A sudden voice interrupted the moment. “Our king is back!” it exclaimed. It belonged to one of the guards, who was standing behind them. Loki turned, irritated. 

“Yes, I am back. How has everything been whilst I’ve been gone?” 

“Just the same, my king.”

Yuul stepped forwards, leaving Loki a little disappointed at the loss of their closeness. “And you have stopped hunting the Terayph?” he asked.

“Yes, ugly prince.”

Yuul smiled. Loki glared. “Don’t call him that,” he said, narrowing his eyes. “I don’t want to hear that again, understood?”

Whilst the crystal giant’s face was that of stone, he could still make out that it was confused within it’s features. Still, it bowed. “Yes, my king.”

“Good.” Loki took Yuul’s arm. “Shall we go?”

Yuul nodded, his cheeks a little red. “Yes.”

They began a casual walk through the castle, not doing anything in particular. Everything seemed to be in order as said, which Loki was content with. 

“Was there anywhere you wished to check on?” he asked Yuul.

“Oh… Well, yes. I suppose I would like to see how the outside is.” 

They went outside and Yuul began to lead this time, although he stayed with his arm around Loki’s. Everything looked the same to Loki, however, Yuul seemed to be concerned about something. He looked around, brow furrowed and his grip tightening on Loki’s arm.

“Is something the matter, dear?” Loki asked. He hadn’t meant to call him dear… But he tried to make it sound casual. 

“No, no... ” Yuul murmured, turning to meet Loki’s gaze. “I'd just like to go for a walk. May I?”

“You don’t need to ask for my permission.”

Yuul smiled. “Thank you.” He walked on ahead, heading towards the area that was essentially a forest with crystals. Loki watched for a moment, then thought about what he should do. Well, nothing seemed to be amiss at the castle… 

So, he followed Yuul.

~♚~ 

The more time he spent here, the more of the land’s energy began to establish itself within Yuul all over again. He hadn’t realised how disconnected he’d become during his time connecting to Midgard.

He made his way up a steep, rocky hill, scrambling a little as he did. As he did so, his foot slid from under him and he slipped, however, Loki caught him. There was a great deal of strength within Loki’s arms, he held him securely as if it was nothing at all. When Yuul looked around at him, Loki flashed him a smirk, followed with a “are you alright?”. It made Yuul’s face heat up.

Yuul continued walking a little further, then stopped and closed his eyes. He felt for the life around him, extending his connection the best he could. The crystals were harder to connect to than soil. It felt like a slow sinking, like falling through thick water. It felt cold too. 

He settled on the edge of the cliff, looking out over the land. Sharp. Pointy. So bright... Looking back at Loki, he didn't seem to be able to keep his eyes on the landscape for long, glancing out at the view and then at the ground, blinking.

Yuul knew he should head back. Still, he liked to come up here sometimes, after all, it had been where...

Yuul noticed a Raela, which was a small, scaly, winged creature, fly down and land on the ground, pecking around for its prey. He grinned and walked over to it, asking if all was normal, which he was pleased to know it was. 

Yuul noticed Loki's eyesight seemed to be suffering, so they headed back to the castle.

“Yuulmenieva’aery,” called a voice as they approached the entrance. Yuul looked up to see his father. 

“Father.”

“I expect you’ve been useful to your new king.” 

Yuul felt his heart sink. Had he? He hoped so. Before he could respond, Loki nodded. 

“He has been very useful. However, he is worth more than just being of use.” His tone was sharp, defensive.

His father didn’t seem to listen, though. “Have you been the weapon you were made to be? Or are you still holding it back?”

Quickly, Yuul went inside, deciding not to even answer that. As much as he hated himself for it, his vision clouded. Crying had always been a sign of weakness, one of the downsides of his faun side. Loki caught up with him quickly, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Yuul?”

He let out a shaky sigh, avoiding looking at him. “Yes?”

“Are you alright?” 

“...No.”

“Your father is a fool, nothing more. It’s okay to be angry. It’s okay to feel enraged.” He squeezed his shoulder, gently. “You are more than he will ever have the chance of knowing.”

Betraying himself, he turned to look at him, tears slipping down his face. He managed a small smile. “Thank you, Loki…”

Loki cupped his cheek with a hand, gently brushing away a tear with his finger. Then, he pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him. “I know how it feels to be treated this way by a father. Trust me, I do.” 

Yuul remained in his arms for a while, burying his face into his shoulder.

~♚~ 

Loki felt the sharp sting of guilt. He should be keeping a distance between them and yet… Every day he felt himself getting too comfortable in this marriage. All he wanted was to just pull Yuul closer. He could be like this for hours. Painfully, he realised that he himself hadn’t been held in a long, long time.

However, he forced himself to pull back. 

Yuul looked up at him, eyes widening a little, before he relaxed. At least he seemed to be feeling better…

“Shall we go back to Midgard?” Loki asked.

He nodded. “That would be best. We have checked everything, after all.”

Finding himself burning for more physical contact, he took Yuul’s hand. It was only to lead him, he told himself. 

Thus, he took him to where the portal was and after making sure that he was ready, went through with him. This time, Yuul held onto him all the way through, his grip tightening as they teleported. 

Then, they were back on the mountain. 

Loki looked around, Yuul still holding onto him.

It didn’t take long for him to notice that the crystal giant that he’d instructed to stay here was gone.

And so was Stark.


	15. Abandonment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki tries to find out what's happened...

“Damned…!” Loki hissed as he marched down the mountain, rage already coiling within him. 

Of course, this didn’t have to mean anything. 

The giants were stupid beings after all, perhaps it was merely confusion. Perhaps it’d even simply gone on a walk. He wouldn’t put it past it. 

Still, he had a bad feeling. 

Yuulmenieva’aery was following after him, seemingly struggling to keep up. Feeling a little bad, Loki slowed his pace and allowed for him to catch up. 

“Loki… I have a bad feeling about this…” he murmured, his breath coming out hard. 

“I know.” 

“I don’t think my people… The giants… Are to be trusted…”

Loki turned to him. “What makes you say that?”

Yuul averted his gaze, looking down at the ground instead as he frowned. “I… You’re a lot… Softer than they want for a leader. I would advise that we find them and you order them to go back home. That way you could make out as if you are more vicious than you are.”

Loki couldn’t help but laugh. It was a bitter laugh. “I’m too soft?”

He nodded, looking up to meet his eyes. 

“Ridiculous,” Loki scoffed. “I’ll show them ‘too soft’.”

“Be careful, Loki…”

Not responding, Loki turned on his heel and continued down the mountain. He could hear Yuul’s footsteps behind him. Guilt began to stab at him, mixing with the anger in a way that was all too familiar. A sense of self-loathing that he was constantly running from. 

Once he was down from the mountain, he rummaged around in his pockets and pulled out the tesseract. He’d find that giant… 

“Stop right there, Loki.”

Loki froze. That damned voice was the last thing he wanted to hear. 

He looked around to face Thor. “Brother.”

Yuul was at a small distance behind him, watching with wide eyes. Loki attempted to discreetly signal for him to hide by shifting his eyes to the side. Thankfully, Yuul understood and ducked down behind some rocks before Thor could turn and spot him.

“Stop what you’re doing, Loki. This is the last time I will come to you with mercy.” 

Loki locked eyes onto Mjölnir, which was grasped tightly in Thor’s fist. He glared. “Yes, mercy. This is why you come brandishing your weapon?”

“It is for protection, nothing more.”

“You love to tell yourself that, don’t you?” Loki hissed, bringing the sceptre forward. “You won’t stop me. You should know that by now.”

“Loki…”

Loki fired off a blast of power at him, hitting him right in the chest. Thor staggered back, letting out a grunt of pain. He found his rage worsening, reaching boiling point, he advanced, landing a swift kick that sent Thor crashing to the ground. 

Really, this was his chance to get out of there…. But no, he refused to run. 

Besides, he couldn’t leave Yuul.

Thor got back up, having recovered so fast that Loki felt insulted. His face was twisted into a look of anger. He swung at Loki with his fist, which Loki avoided with a duck. Loki attempted to slash his legs out from under him but was cut off with a swift hammer slam to the head. He fell to the floor at his feet, dazed for a second, before quickly rolling away and springing back up.

Thor charged at him, swinging at him again. Loki only just managed to move out of the way, firing off another blast of power as he did. It grazed his shoulder, leaving the flesh it tore through bloody. Thor groaned and placed his hand over it.

“Brother… We don’t have to do this.”

“Oh, you never understand, do you?” Loki took advantage of the moment, slashing with the sceptre and sending Thor to his knees. “We do.”

Thor looked up at him. 

Loki expected to see rage.

However, his eyes were tearful.

Loki stopped. A sickening feeling welled within him, almost bringing tears to his own eyes. He backed away. 

“Loki…. My brother…” Thor murmured. 

“Shut up!” Loki snapped. He turned from him, running a hand through his hair. Thor had never been a good brother. Never...

Memories came to mind. Memories of little wooden valkyries and monsters, listening to tales of their father’s victories, training together, conjuring illusions to match Thor’s stories… 

“Thor, I…”

“Loki, behind you!” Yuul’s voice cried.

Before he could turn, he took a sharp shot in the shoulder. The pain was unlike any weapon he’d felt before. It tore right through him. His knees buckled and within the split second that he could only feel the pain, he let go of the sceptre. 

Now panicking, he turned to see that Romanoff was there. She stood by Thor, some sort of weapon in her hand, aimed at him. Loki scrambled for the sceptre, only to see that Rogers now had it. Damn it!

His eyes flicked over to Thor, who was watching everything with wide eyes. 

“You…!” Loki hissed. 

Romanoff moved, about to shoot at him again.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them erupted into a mass of green. Thick coils of plants that began to thicken and sprout into hardened bark. Loki felt himself being lifted and moved away. He caught glimpses of Rogers, Romanoff and Thor, all of them with branches trapping them. 

The branch that held him unfurled, gently placing him on the ground behind Yuulmenieva’aery. His hands were raised, arms shaking with the power that he was unleashing. Another branch came forward and dropped the sceptre next to Loki. He grabbed it, quickly and rose to his feet. 

Whimpering, Yuul dropped his hands and fell to his knees, panting hard. He’d grown five very large trees. Romanoff was trapped between two, trying to wrestle her way out. Rogers was coiled up in one and Thor was hanging by his legs, which were encased in branches.

Loki chuckled. “Look at you all, pathetic.”

Romanoff locked eyes with him, her glare burning enough to remind him of the searing wound in his shoulder. He growled.

“You won’t get away with any of this, Loki,” she spat.

“Oh? I won’t?” He glanced at Yuul, seeing that he was clearly very weak. Then, he felt his own pain, which was only getting worse as the adrenaline faded. He then looked back at the three of them, his enemies, all trapped. 

As good as this was, this wasn’t the time. He snatched up the tesseract and grabbed Yuul’s hand.

“Brother…!” Thor shouted. “This wasn’t-”

Loki shot him a sharp look. “Silence! I won’t fall for your tricks again, mark my words.” Then, with that, he and Yuul were off. 

Teleporting back to New York, Loki looked around to see that everything was in complete chaos. Buildings crushed and destroyed, fires roaring, no sign of life. For a moment, he wondered if he’d perhaps teleported off of Midgard entirely.

He looked up at the sky, catching sight of one of the crystal giants in the distance, marching in his direction. 

“What… What ha-happened here?” Yuul said, in a whimper. 

“I don’t know… But I’ll find out. Stay here.” He guided Yuul to sit down and walked forwards to meet with the crystal giant, which had reached him in no time. It bowed down.

“My king.”

“What happened here?” Loki asked, trying to keep calm.

“Your captive escaped, we looked for him.”

Taking a moment to look around at the destruction once more, Loki was almost ready to burst. “Did you not listen to a word I said? I don’t want this!” He waved a hand around. “How am I supposed to rule this?” 

The crystal giant paused. “This… Is what we do. These are our ways.”

Loki glared. “I am your king! You will listen to me!” He gestured up at the giant with his sceptre. “Did you even find him?”

The crystal giant stood straight, staring down at him in silence for a moment. Loki stood still, his glare remaining.

“I see that you are not fit to be king,” it said, finally.

“Not fit to be king? How dare-”

Before Loki could finish, he was hit by the giant and sent flying. He crashed through the window of a building. The crashing of breaking glass pierced his ears, followed by the crunch of breaking bones. His own. 

His vision blurred as his brain caught up to his body and pain overwhelmed him, then everything fell into darkness.

~♚~ 

“Loki?” Yuul shook him, gently. “Loki!”

His eyes snapped open and he sat up, then gasped and clutched his arm in pain. Quickly, Yuul put an arm around him, doing his best to reassure him. 

“It’s me, it’s okay… You are hurt, lie back down…”

“Yuul… I....” Loki groaned and lay back. 

Carefully, Yuul pulled Loki’s coat off and after unravelling a few of the straps that coiled around his arm, bared his shoulder. The sight was worse than he imagined. The wound was a circular hole in his flesh, tinged blue at the edges of his skin. Veins of blue snaked down his arm, like some sort of growing corruption. Then, Yuul realised that whatever had been shot at him was still inside. 

“Ho...Hold on.” He put his hand over it. “My mother did teach me healing… I-I could…” 

“No…” Loki put a hand over his. “Don’t, you’re weak already…”

Yuul shook his head. “Let me.” He focused on the wound, then closed his eyes. He asked the earth beneath for assistance and was granted it, as a few vines from a nearby tree slinked down from the window and coiled around his arm. Loki let out a groan. 

He opened his eyes to see that the wound was moving, pulsating. Then, a small ball of blue metallic material dropped to the ground. The wound closed a little, but not fully. He knew that was the most he could do. 

“T-Thank you…” Loki said, weakly. “I didn’t know you could… Do that.”

Yuul nodded, smiling softly. “It’s one of my only blessings.” He took Loki’s hand. He wasn’t sure why but it felt right. He interlocked their fingers. “You should rest…” 

Loki ran his thumb over Yuul’s hand. “Where… Is the giant?”

For a moment, Yuul had forgotten about the giants. He shifted anxiously, beginning to feel sick as he recalled what had happened when Loki had been knocked out. 

“... They’ve abandoned us. All of them.”


	16. Plotting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuul is concerned, Loki gets in touch with an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry for such a late chapter, guys! Had a really busy, hard time recently. Things are calming down now.

Upon taking a short amount of time to recover, Loki’s first action, of course, was to push himself up from the ground, snatch up his sceptre and immediately take off to find the giants. His head was full of plans, things he could do when he found them. He wondered how they would look, smashed to pieces…

He ignored the pain he still felt, despite how much it seared. He knew that it was a wound laced in magic. What kind of weapon Romanoff had used back there, Loki didn’t know. What he did know was that he would break it apart when he next found her. 

Behind him, Yuul was following. Loki could hear his feet hitting the ground, fast as he attempted to catch up. 

“Loki!” he called. “Stop, you need to rest!”

Loki continued on though, glaring up at the sky in search of any signs of a big, crystal, oafish form. He couldn’t see anything, nor could he hear anything. 

He stopped and thrust his hand into his pockets, snatching up the Tesseract. He looked back at Yuul. 

“Do you know where they are?” he asked. Although, it came out more like a demand. 

Yuul shook his head, reaching Loki and putting his hands on his good arm, gently. “Loki, stop this. We can’t fight them, especially not like this.”

“I’m a god, Yuul. I can do anything.” Deep down, self doubt still reared its ugly head. He tried to push it down, to smother it. 

“Can we please at least plan something? If you attack now, they will be expecting it. Let’s take them by surprise!”

Ah, Yuul was right, Loki realised. Taking them by surprise would be more satisfying, too… He could really strike fear into them that way, before he tore them rock from rock. 

“...Very well,” he said. “We will prepare right away.”

Yuul nodded. “Of course.”

~♚~ 

Loki made the decision to teleport them far, far away. Out of the country, he had said. The place they ended up was a lot colder than where they’d been before. Thus, Yuul bundled up warm with layers. Loki, however, didn’t appear to be affected by it. He still wore his usual style of clothes. Black, leathery, with hints of deep green and flashes of gold. It also seemed that he was even more attached to the sceptre, if at all possible. He was always holding it, even though it was only the two of them there.

Immediately, Loki had thrown himself into a deep plot. He would gather weapons and use the Tesseract to power them, to make them true instruments of destruction. Then, he would destroy each and every giant, he said. However, Yuul was still hesitant, concerned only about the wound in his shoulder.

Thankfully, whilst it seemed to be trying to spread, Yuul was able to block it. However, it took a lot of energy to do so and that was beginning to really scare him. He knew it was unlikely that Loki would hold back on revenge, though.

Already, Loki had stolen weapons, as well as mapped out a vague plan on how they would lure all of the giants together. 

The weapons he collected were these big, ugly things. Apparently they shot things out, usually massive, metal bullets. Instead, Loki wanted to power them with magic. 

The water of the ocean hit Yuul’s boots, snapping him from his thoughts. He looked down, smiling. When they’d first come here, seeing the ocean for the first time was utterly amazing. He had never seen so much water all in one place. He also found that it tasted better than other water, which Loki had laughed about.

He knelt down, pulling his glove off to dip his fingers in. It was icy cold, causing a shiver to run through his body. 

Yuul heard footsteps and looked up to see the reflection of his husband standing over him. He looked around and smiled. However, Loki didn’t return the smile. His expression was stern instead, distant even. 

“Is something wrong?” Yuul asked, standing. 

Loki then shook his head, his eyes locking onto Yuul’s, although he didn’t look any happier. “Nothing’s wrong.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” Loki appeared to think for a moment. “I just thought… Maybe, he would…” He quickly shook his head again. “Nevermind it.” 

Flashes of Thor appeared in Yuul’s mind. Across the past few days, he’d noticed that Loki was upset about that. It made him angry. He frowned and took Loki’s hand. “You can talk if you need to…”

Loki stared for a moment, then forced a smile. “No time for that. I came to talk about our plans.”

“Oh.”

“I… Wondered if you would like to come with me this time, to collect more weapons. I know someone who can help us. An old friend. She owes me.” 

Yuul’s eyes widened a little. “Oh, I would love to meet one of your friends!”

Loki shifted a little. “Ah, well…. She might not be too happy to see me.” He grinned. “So, we will be sneaking in.”

~♚~ 

“Loki, I thought you said she owes you?” Yuul asked, creeping behind Loki.

Whilst Loki was as silent as the sound of… Well, nothingness, Yuul was making small sounds constantly. The brush of his hand against the wall, a click of boots on the floor, whilst they were all small things, Loki knew that they could very well be enough to warn her of their presence. So, he only turned to Yuul and put a finger over his lips. 

They’d teleported onto the planet she was docking at, which Loki had found through casting a tracking spell. Of course, all Yuul wanted to do was explore… Which, whilst Loki found to be adorable, he could really not afford to waste time. 

They went around a corner and came towards a large, bolted door. Loki put his hand over it, finding that he couldn’t feel a lick of magic. Well, that made his job easier. Using his own magic, he had the door unbolted in seconds. Carefully, he pushed it open and they stepped inside. 

To his joy, the room was full of weapons. The kind that could make Midgard a barren wasteland if used correctly. What the room contained would certainly be enough to reduce those giants to rubble, then he could cut down the Avengers one by one. 

Alien guns lined the walls and giant cannons and mechas lay still. Loki placed a hand on one, his mind filled with glorious ideas. Yuul remained in the doorway, a hesitant look on his face. 

“Come, if we can gather these all together, I could take them-”

Loki was cut off by a loud bang. He turned quickly, to come face to face with a small, yet well-muscled woman in armour. Her black hair was pulled back into a long plait, just like always. 

He smiled, raising his hands as he noticed the gun in her hand, which was pointed at the ceiling. 

“Hello, Runa. It is... Lovely to see you again.”

She narrowed her eyes, then pointed the gun at him. “I wish I could say the same to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this? A new OC of mine? :D 
> 
> Again, sorry for the late chapter and I also apologise if this chapter wasn't so good, I struggled with it, I will admit. Still, hope it was readable!


	17. Weaponry

Yuul looked between Loki and the woman, beginning to panic a little. He reached out with his power, trying to find a plant of any kind, something he could grow. Yet, all he felt was hard material blocking him all around. 

And… He couldn’t use his crystal powers.

Instead, he stepped in front of Loki. “Do not shoot that,” he said, trying to sound as tough as he could. 

The woman looked at him, raising an eyebrow. She didn’t seem threatened in the slightest. 

“Loki… Who… Is this?” 

“My husband.”

“Your… What? You got married?!”

Whilst Yuul couldn’t see it, he could picture the smirk Loki must be wearing on his face. 

“Yes, Runa, I got married. Now, can we talk? After all, you do owe me.”

She narrowed her eyes, then sighed and lowered her gun. “Fine. Tell me what you want and then begone.”

Loki stepped out from behind Yuul, smiling. “I knew you would help.”

“Yes, which is why you broke into my ship to steal my weapons.”

Yuul decided to speak up. “How… Do you two know each other exactly?”

Runa gave Loki a strange look, which might have meant something along the lines of “don’t tell him”, however, Loki answered his question regardless. “Runa is an asgardian. We have known each other since we were children. She used to be a valkyrie, even!” 

The look on her face worsened into a glare and she stomped past him, purposefully knocking him hard with her arm as she did. She reached a table and began to fiddle with the metal scraps that lay strewn across it. 

“What is a valkyrie?” Yuul asked, hoping it wouldn’t be a sore topic. 

Evidently it was, however. 

“Nothing. Can one of you please just tell me what it is you want?” She asked sharply. “Is it just weapons?”

“Yes.” Loki said. Then, he thought for a moment. “And… Perhaps your help in setting them up.”

Runa looked around. “What are you using them for?” 

Loki wasted no time in spilling all of the details. “Crystal giants. There’s an army of them on Midgard right now. I wish to destroy them.”

“Oh, never took you for the heroic type.”

He chuckled. “When did I say it was for the sake of Midgard?”

Yuul looked at him, frowning a little. “They did betray us… But what they are doing to Midgard is not good either.”

Runa turned to face them, resting back on the table. “And I won’t owe you anymore after this?”

“That’s right.”

She nodded her head. “Okay. Count me in.”

~♚~ 

Loki was standing by the largest window in the ship, looking out at the view of the strange planet all around them. It wasn’t one he was familiar with and he didn’t particularly care to ask questions about it. 

Runa had requested time to prepare, which Loki found to be tedious, however, if it meant getting what he wanted, so be it. 

In the reflection, he saw Yuul approaching him and turned to face him. 

“Loki,” Yuul said. 

“Hello, dear.” Ah, he hadn’t meant to say that… It just came out. Perhaps Yuul wouldn’t notice.

Yuul joined his side, a puzzled look on his face. “Dear?”

Damn it.

“It’s… Affectionate. You are my husband, so, it just felt… Appropriate I suppose.” 

He smiled. “I like it.” He looked out of the window, studying the landscape of purple dirt hills and brightly coloured plants. 

They stood in silence for a little and Yuul moved closer to him. Loki felt his heart flutter, welcoming the closeness, as much as he wished he didn’t. He knew that it was selfish to do so, yet, he reached and took Yuul’s hand in his. 

Yuul looked up, meeting Loki’s eyes. He didn’t say anything however, only smiling. 

For a moment, Loki wished that things were different. 

Yuulmenieva’aery stepped even closer to him, reaching with his other hand. “Loki, I…”

He was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, hard on the ship’s floor. They both looked around to see Runa, who was wearing another, even stronger suit of armour. She also appeared to be carrying at least five different weapons on her. 

“Alright, let’s go,” she said.

Loki hoped that she couldn’t tell that he was flustered. “Yes, yes.”

~♚~ 

As soon as they were back on Midgard, Yuul began trying to track where all of the giants had gone. It wasn’t easy, given that his reach was still limited. Thankfully, however, the giants had such a powerful build up of magic inside them that even when they were long gone, it left an imprint. At the very least, he knew the direction a sizable amount had gone in.

The two followed the trail, at first following Yuul’s magic, then the sizable tracks, not to mention the damage, they had left in their wake. Once located, they hung back on a nearby hillside, watching them. 

“Lumbering oafs, aren’t they?” Loki commented in a low voice, though it was unlikely they would be heard with the distance between them.

“Yeah,” Runa said. “Come on, help me with this.”

Loki began moving guns, positioning them around the top of the hill. Yuul watched, watching his muscles move…

He had discovered he was stronger than the average midgardian, but… Nothing like that. He moved the hunks of metal like they were nothing. 

After a while, Loki began setting up some sort of technology, working his way through a tangle of wires and attaching them to a pedestal, on top of which sat the tesseract. He was focused, completely absorbed in his work, seemingly not noticing Yuul and Runa at all. 

After a while, he straightened up.

“We’re ready.”


	18. Action

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is put into action!

“There does not appear to be anything of use on this pathetic little planet,” commented one of the giants, turning to the giant that stood next to it.

“That is why we are destroying it.” The other giant had a glance around, contemplating where they would go next. 

As it looked, it spotted movement in the distance. A figure approaching them.

The giant stepped forward, now towering over the figure. On a closer inspection, it was Loki, their failed king. The giant held back laughter.

“Puny mistake of a king, what brings you back so soon?” it asked.

Loki looked up, his face full of fear. One hand was gripping his arm, which held that staff he’d always carried around. Except it was broken now, hanging like a snapped twig. The giant could make out that Loki was shaking, too. The look of weakness.

“Pl-Please,” Loki stammered, raising a hand. “Mercy. I beg of you, be merciful…”

This time, the giant did not hold back its laughter and neither did the rest. They all laughed and then advanced, surrounding Loki, who was increasingly getting more panicked.

“W-Wait!” he cried out. “I can give you so much! I can give you riches, show you the way to Asgard, a-anything! I will be your slave!”

“We don’t take slaves,” Said one of the other, smaller giants. “We leave no one alive.”

In what was almost unison, the giants raised their arms and brought them down, smashing Loki into nothing but a bloody pulp.

Or so they thought.

The second all was clear, they saw that nothing was there. No blood, no guts, no pulp. No Loki.

“Over here!” called a voice from behind them. As they looked around, they all came face to face with Loki, who stood proud in front of rows upon rows of guns. His mouth was twisted into a grin.   
“Did you really think a god like me would grovel?”

The giants stood there, all looking down at him.

“Your little weapons cannot so much as dent us,” said one giant.

Loki laughed. “Oh? Is that right?” Then he threw his hands up. “Now!”

~♚~ 

Loki stood, hands in the air for quite a moment. Adrenaline and excitement pumped through him, he could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Yet… He realised that nothing was   
Happening.

There were no loud blasts, no tesseract powered bullets, no cannonballs or lasers. Everything was quiet, still.

Perhaps they hadn’t heard his signal. “Now!” he yelled again, louder than before.

Still, nothing.

The giants began to laugh. Loki glared, stepping back and turning his head to try to see what was going on. Through the cracks between all of the weapons, he could make out flashes of brightly coloured suits and armour. Reds, blues, yellows. The Avengers.

Rage coiled within him. He sprinted for the guns, slamming the controls to set them off. The tesseract was glowing brightly as everything vibrated and roared. Then, the guns started to fire, large rockets and bullets hitting their targets hard. However, many missed, as the giants had mostly moved out of the way now. It was all a disaster.

One of the slower giants came crashing to the ground, a massive hole gaping in its chest. That much was satisfying.

Loki turned around, seeing that Rogers and Barton were approaching him. Both were holding guns, the kind that Romanoff had fired at him previously. The kind that actually seemed to affect him. Behind, he could see that Romanoff and The Hulk had Yuul and Runa in cuffs. 

He met Yuul’s eyes, seeing fear. In a sickening way, he recognised the cuffs on his wrists. They blocked magic. Awful, painful things.

Acting as fast as he could, Loki shot a magic blast at them with his sceptre, then he rolled out of the way as they fired their guns and hid behind the controls. The guns were still going off, making everything loud and overwhelming. 

For a moment, Loki considered turning one of the big guns on them… He couldn’t risk hitting Yuul and Runa.

He moved around, taking a quick peek to see where they were now. Rogers was kneeling beside Barton, who’d presumably been hit with the magic blast. Loki allowed himself a small chuckle, before he realised with a sinking feeling The Hulk was nowhere to be seen.

Something big grabbed him by his coat, yanking him back and holding him up. He came face to face with the green brute and oh, he did not look happy. Nostrils flared up, eyes bulging and thick brows cast down into a glare.

In a panic, Loki was able to hit him hard with another blast of magic. Hard enough that The Hulk released him. Loki hit the ground and quickly scrambled up, only just dodging the bullets that Romanoff was now shooting at him.

What was worse though, was that they now had Yuulmenieva’aery.

Loki didn’t want to leave him.

He ducked behind one of the cannons, which was thankfully out of ammo. He looked out again, then realised that Romanoff was approaching the Tesseract.

Damn it.

Loki charged at her, conjuring up a forcefield which, for some reason, made the wound feel much worse. It did the trick, though, as the bullets were unable to penetrate it. He slashed her hard, sending her flying. Then, he snatched up the Tesseract.

He turned his attention to Rogers and Barton, who were hanging back behind an enraged Hulk. 

Keeping his forcefield up, he ran at them, throwing balls of pure power as he did. Hulk charged.

Then, the pain became excruciating.

The forcefield began to flicker. Loki growled, only just dodging Hulk’s attack. He met Yuul’s eyes for a moment.

Then, a new plan coming to mind, he vanished.


	19. Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki has left Yuul and Runa.

Yuul had never had his powers be completely blocked before.

He looked down at the thick bands of metal that cuffed his wrists, a chain linking them together. He gave it a tug, finding that he felt a lot weaker then he should. 

The feeling of being unable to summon any sort of magic, being cut off from the feeling of nature, it was terrifying. However, he tried to hide his fear, tried to keep his breathing steady and his stance strong. 

Despite the fact Loki had left him. 

The moment Loki teleported away, the Avengers had decided to run from the giants. A wise decision. 

Yuul and Runa had been forced to follow them. As luck would have it, the giants didn’t seem to notice them, as they were already occupied with destroying the guns. 

‘Has Loki really left me like this?’ Yuul wondered, feeling a stab in his heart as he did. ‘Would Loki do that?’

He supposed he didn’t truly know Loki.

It wasn’t like he should be expecting anything from him, really. They were only married as a means of giving Loki power. Yet… Loki had always been nice to him. He thought that they perhaps could have something more.

Runa was muttering under her breath, brow creased in frustration. Yuul could see that her arms were trembling, fists clenched in what he assumed was anger. She looked up, meeting his eyes. 

Yuul frowned. “Are you alright?” he asked, quietly.

“I’ve been captured by a bunch of humans. What do you think?” she spat. Then, her eyes softened and she looked down. “I shouldn’t have helped. Even with owing him.”

“I’m sure… Um…” Yuul hesitated. He was going to say that he was sure they wouldn’t be hurt, yet… He realised he had no reason to believe that. Runa didn’t seem like she’d been listening, anyway. So, he fell into silence, watching the Avengers that walked a little ahead of them.  
“Do we know where Tony is?” one of them, Rogers, Yuul remembered, asked. 

“No…” Romanoff shook her head. “Haven’t found a trace of him.” Concern was in her voice, even though it sounded like she tried to hide it. 

Tony… Yuul wondered if that was Stark, the man they’d had prisoner. He’d assumed that he just escaped, yet… If they didn’t know where he was… He considered if perhaps the giants still had him. He was likely to be dead already if that was the case.

As they walked, Yuul could make out some sort of aircraft in the distance. A big, bulky shape sitting amongst the fields. Its ugliness ruined the nature scene.

As they approached it, the sky above began to crackle. Something shot down, hitting the earth hard and leaving a perfectly circular dent. Thor stood in the centre, holding his hammer out to his side. He stepped towards Yuul immediately. 

“Where is my brother?” he asked. 

“I… I don’t know.”

“Do not protect him. Where is he?” 

Yuul narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know,” he repeated, his tone harsher. 

“He zapped off to leave us to deal with his own doing,” Runa spoke up. 

Thor did a double take at her for a moment, then stared. For a split second it looked like he was about to smile, yet he dashed that look away in an instant. “Runa. It has been a long time.”

“It has, your highness.” Her tone was biting. “Have these humans let me go. I was paying Loki back, that is all. You remember, don’t you? I’m not his friend.”

Yuul wanted to ask her what Loki did, how he had helped her so much. Yet, he had a feeling she wouldn’t tell him. 

“I cannot do that, Runa,” Thor said. He looked remorseful, even though his voice had a stern certainty to it. He turned to the Avengers, his red cape swishing ridiculously as he did. “These are prisoners of Asgard, my friends. I will take them from here.”  
Romanoff opened her mouth to speak, although Rogers cut her off. “They are enemies to Earth, Thor. I think it would be better to keep them here.” 

“Runa is an asgardian… And this man,” he gestured to Yuul with his hammer. “Is married to my brother. I think this is clearly asgardian business.”

“With all due respect,” Romanoff started, walking ahead of Rogers to stand in front of Thor. “He has been aiding Loki all this time. Loki is still on this planet, somewhere, I would imagine… If we have his husband, you’d think he’d come looking eventually.”

Thor laughed. “Ah, you do not know my brother if you really think-” He cut himself off, meeting Yuul’s eyes. “...Yes, yes, perhaps.”

“You can take Runa,” Rogers said. “We will keep him.”

He looked a little defeated, yet he nodded his head. “Very well.” 

Runa glared, moving away. “No, you’re not taking me back to that place!” she hissed. Thor grabbed hold of her cuffed hands, seemingly holding her there with ease. He shouted something at the sky. Runa kicked at him, although it was no use. A beam of light shot down, swallowing them. Then they were gone. 

Yuul felt a chill run down his spine. She seemed terrified. He wondered what Asgard was like… Was it a horrible place? Loki had never described it as such. 

“Come on, we’re flying back to the base.” Romanoff gestured to the ship. “Follow me.”

For a second, he did consider trying to run for it. Catching a glint of that gun at Romanoff’s hip, however, he decided against it. He followed them up onto the ship. 

He was getting progressively more tired, too. Worn down by his powers being completely stunted like this. He couldn’t feel a connection to anything, it was painful. He felt like if he was kept like this for long enough, he truly would wither and perish.  
He was put in a cell. It actually reminded him of the ones his father had back in the castle. Not that he’d ever seen his father take prisoners before. It was a clear, circular thing. The second it was closed on him, he felt ten times more suppressed. Ah, so this stifled magic too.

Yuul sat down, watching the Avengers. Romanoff took Hulk aside, somewhere out of Yuul’s view. Rogers and Barton stayed around, keeping an eye on him.

He sat back, sighed and closed his eyes.

~♚~ 

As the ship took off, a snake slid out from the rocks, watching it disappear off into the sky. 

Its scales were like emeralds catching the sun. 

It began to glow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm finally back! :) Hope you are all doing well and staying inside during this virus.


	20. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuul faces interrogation.

“Where would Loki be now?” Romanoff asked, leaning over the table, her eyes narrowing into a tense stare. 

“I do not know,” Yuulmenieva’aery answered quietly. “He teleported, after all.” He was definitely still on the planet, somehow he just knew that. He didn’t say it, though.

He’d been taken out of the cell and taken into their new base. During the flight, he hadn’t been able to catch any sort of sign as to where this base was. He had walked down many stairs to get there, though, so he knew it must be underground. The shackles still held his hands firmly together, still blocking his powers entirely. 

“Did he mention any other places?” she asked. 

“No.” 

“What was next in his plans?”

Yuul sighed. “Defeat all of you, lead Midgard into being better, then…” he paused. “I do not know what came after. I imagine we would go to Asgard and punish his father.” 

Romanoff raised her eyebrows. “Punish?” 

“Yes… Loki was wronged greatly.”

“How so?” 

Yuul thought about it. He didn’t have the details, not in full… He only knew that his father had treated him badly and that he was kept under his brother’s shadow. “I am not going into that.” 

Why she was bothering to even interrogate him, he didn’t know. It was clear none of them had any sort of intention to torture him, which he’d learnt from a young age was what you did when interrogating people, the very few times his father had. Thoughts and memories of how well crystal magic could be used to create pain filled his head. Yuul had never seen much point… It only seemed to make people lie, for they would be so desperate that they would say anything to make it stop. 

Still, it didn’t seem like the Avengers had much better methods. 

“Fine,” she said, standing straight. “I suppose it’s not important.” She paced for a moment, looking to be deep in thought. “I don’t think you’re bad, not like Loki. How… Exactly did you two come to be married?” She took a seat then, her face softening. 

“I do not see how that is something you need to know.” 

“Come on, what reason do you have to hide it?”

Yuul thought. “He arrived at my planet and won my hand in marriage. That is all.”

“So, you don’t love each other?”

“I…” Yuul paused. Love… No, there wasn’t any love between them. Loki had left him. “No. We do not.”

“How come you help him?” She sat back. 

“Well… Even without love, Loki has shown me kindness that I have never been shown before. I owe him my abilities.”

“Kindness? Loki?” Romanoff almost looked amused. “He left you.”

Yuul ignored the sharp stab he felt in his chest. “He did not have much of a choice. That gun you used on him is vicious.”

“Oh!” She reached down, pulling out the gun from its holster. She put it on the table, making a point to turn it away from both of them. “This?” 

“Yes. That.”

“Would you like to know what it does?”

Yuul frowned. “Go on…”

“The material the bullets are made from is able to drain power, energy, magic, all of that. No matter what you are. I’d say I got Loki pretty good, didn’t I?”

“How do you stop it?” 

“It’s hard to stop.” She stared at Yuul’s face for a moment, watching as his expression changed to one of concern. “... But there are ways. We can help him out, if we could just get a hold of him.”

Yuul glared. “I can see what you are doing.”

Romanoff stood. “And I can see that you have more feelings for him than you let on.”

~♚~ 

Once returned to his cell, Yuul collapsed on the bed that was there and let out a long sigh. 

Romanoff wanted his help in catching Loki.

In return, the Avengers would get rid of the effects of the bullet. 

He turned onto his side, rubbing his wrists. They’d only just now removed the shackles, he wasn’t sure why. He wasn’t able to access any of his powers, this cell blocked his magic too. 

Yuul thought of Loki. His dark hair, how his touch always had a coldness to it, how his eyes shone when the sun hit them and how he grinned. He felt an aching inside. He thought of him being there with him. What would he say? 

Most logically, Yuul had to take that offer. It would mean betrayal, yet, he decided that not doing it would be an even greater betrayal. Who knows what would happen to Loki? Romanoff had said they didn’t know much about the effects of the bullets, it was possible it could potentially be alright. It was possible Loki could be killed. Loki was a god, yet… 

Just the slight possibility that Loki could die or end up greatly injured made Yuul’s heart sink.

~♚~ 

“I got him. I know I did. I could see it in his eyes,” Romanoff said to Barton as they headed towards the exit of their base.

“What, even though they’re completely black?” he asked.

“Yes.” She scoffed. “Anyway, any sign of Tony?”

“Nope.”

“Damn… He’s gotta be okay, surely…” Still, she was clearly concerned. “He always makes it out somehow.”

As they disappeared up the stairs, Loki emerged from his hiding place, immediately shifting into the form of Romanoff. 

It hadn’t been too hard to find their base. Just a little magic here and there and he was able to follow them. He straightened out into a confident walk and went straight for the room he’d seen them exit… Only to run into Banner. Damn.

“Oh, Natasha!” Banner said, a little awkwardly. “Sorry, didn’t expect you to be coming back so soon…”

“Hello, Ban-” realising that was too formal, he corrected himself quickly. “Bruce… I just realised I had something to ask our prisoner, that’s all.”

“Yeah… Yeah…” Banner shifted. Oh no. He had something to say. “I, uh… I have been meaning to um, speak with you. If that’s okay.”

“I’m sorry, I really need to go. Later?”

“Um, it’ll only take a second. It’s just… About last night-”

Loki could see exactly where this was going. He pushed past Banner and headed swiftly to the door at the end of the hall. “Sorry, Bruce, really!” he called after him, quickly shutting the door behind him. He allowed himself a quick breath and a moment of being thankful he’d not finished that sentence. Mortal affairs… Ugh. 

“You are back…?” he heard a voice say. Loki looked up to see Yuul, who was behind a glass wall.

“Yuul!” Loki beamed. Then he paused. “One moment.” He shifted back into his own form. “It’s me,” he said with a smirk. “I’ve come to save you.”

Yuulmenieva’aery’s eyes lit up. He stood and walked forward, getting as close as he was able. “Loki… You came for me?”

“Of course.” Loki reached into one of his pockets and pulled out the keys he’d swiped previously. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

Then, he realised that usually, he really wouldn’t come back for someone. Not someone that was only an ally. No… Yuul was more than that. He put the key in the lock and twisted it, hearing a satisfactory clicking sound. He pushed the door of the cell open. He hadn’t had someone be more than that in a very, very long time. 

Yuul smiled and, much to Loki’s surprise, embraced him. “Loki… I… I am really happy to see you.”

Loki felt his face get a little hot. He smiled back and wrapped his arms around him. “We are married, I’m not just going to discard you.” 

As they pulled away from each other, their faces came close. Eyes locking, a silence falling. 

Then, their moment was cut short by the sound of footsteps. 

“Ah.” Loki sighed. “What use of your powers do you have?”

Yuul looked at his hands. “I can feel them coming back to me already.”

“Will you help me?”

“Of course.”


	21. Beach

As soon as the door opened, Yuul grew out a tree from the ground and had it grab whoever was walking in. 

“H-Hey!” Rogers shouted as the tree wrapped around him. He began to thrash immediately. “Loki’s here!” he shouted, already ripping one of his arms free. 

“Come on,” Loki said, grabbing Yuul’s arm and running down the hall with him. For extra measure, he conjured up a force field around the two of them. “The exit is just up those stairs.” Loki pointed to the staircase. Yuul nodded.

As they ran for it, Banner stepped out in front of them. “What’s going on here-” he began. 

Loki thwacked him in the face with the sceptre, sending him flying. He crumpled to the ground, knocked out. 

“Who’s the puny one now?” Loki muttered as he began up the stairs, keeping Yuul by his side. The stairs were long, very long. Loki kept glancing back to check if they were being followed. Romanoff and Barton were likely to be still above ground…

“Let’s change forms. Give me a moment,” he muttered. He shifted his form to Rogers’, then Yuul’s to Banner’s. There was no way he was being Banner.

Yuul looked at his hands. “Who did you make me?”

“Banner. The one I just knocked unconscious.” Loki chuckled. “Immediately,” he added. “Just act small and pathetic, then you’ll be fine.”

“Understood,” Yuul said. 

They reached the top. Loki took a moment to look around, seeing if he could spot either of them. He could not. 

“Come on, my dear,” he said softly, helping Yuul up. 

“Where are we going to go?” Yuul asked. 

“I’m not sure yet… I think we should… We should go somewhere new entirely. Another realm or planet. Just for a little. If we can gather more weapons again, then… We could destroy the giants and the Avengers. Then you and I can rule.” 

Yuul smiled. Even though he currently looked like Banner, Loki could see that it was Yuul’s smile. “Me and you?” 

“Yes.” Loki smiled too. 

“Steve? Bruce? What are you doing out here…?” 

They looked up to see Barton. 

“Well… You see…” Loki began. Then he sent a powerful force of magic towards him, knocking him down. He pulled Yuul into him and closing his eyes, he teleported them away.

~♚~ 

Loki had ended up taking them back to New York. It had just been the first place that came to mind in that second. He’d meant to teleport them somewhere else immediately, however, he noticed tall shapes in the distance.

It was the giants, all together. At least, it looked like all of them.

“What… Are they doing?” Loki asked.

Yuul frowned. “They are leaving.”

“What? Running away? Really?”

He shook his head. “No. They have just come to the conclusion that this planet is not worth the time. They will be back for it, one day…”

Loki nodded. “I see…” He chuckled. “Well, all the more time to figure out a way to truly crush them.”

Together, Yuul and Loki watched as the giants began to disappear, teleporting back to their home. Loki glanced at Yuul, only to see that he looked sad. 

“What is it?” he asked, voice softening.

“I’ll never be home again…” Yuul said in a mutter.

“Oh…” In truth, Loki knew how he was feeling. To be cast aside by your father, to know you would never be accepted in the place you called home again. He pulled Yuul into his arms and stroked his hair. 

“You are all I have, Loki…” Yuul said.

Loki couldn’t feel any guiltier than he did then.

~♚~ 

Whilst Loki wanted nothing more than to leap right back into his fight with the Avengers, Yuul thought it would be better if they took some time to rest. Really, Loki was only doing it for Yuul. He seemed shaken up. It made Loki feel… Sad. 

He knew what it was like, to be blocked from your powers. For magic users, that was horrible. 

Loki had found a new place for them to settle for the time being. It was on the hot side, right by the beach. He didn’t really like the heat but since Yuul liked it so much, he had been kind enough to allow it.

Yuulmenieva’aery was sitting by the sea, cross-legged. Loki had just woken up and was still quite sleepy. He rubbed his eyes, wincing as he stepped out into the sunlight. He walked over to Yuul and sat down beside him. 

“Good morning,” he said.

Yuul smiled. “Good morning, Loki…”

Loki took a moment to look at him. He could tell he had something on his mind. He had for the past few days… 

“Did you rest well?” Yuul asked. 

“I did.” He leant back. Yuul was pretty, he thought. His hair always seemed to fall into the most perfect ringlets, shimmering like opal. The shirt he wore fit him well, too. He could see the muscles underneath quite well. Yuul lay back in the sand, letting out a sigh and closing his eyes. Seeing him lying back like that, Loki felt a crushing feeling of want rush over him. He did his best to shove it back.

Loki lay next to Yuul. 

He considered what they might think of each other if their marriage was never a thing. If Loki hadn’t won his hand, would they be enemies? Friends? He looked at Yuul again. Lovers? 

He could imagine that he would always have a fondness for Yuulmenieva’aery. He wasn’t just pretty, he was intelligent and talented. Even deeper, he knew what it was like. He understood Loki in so many ways… He didn’t just see him as a trickster. 

Yet, was that only because of their marriage? Perhaps Yuul would hate him if things were different. 

Looking up to the sky, Loki realised that scared him deeper than it should.


	22. Self loathing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki takes Yuul for a picnic, yet, things don't go as planned.

The ocean rolled in and out at a slow, relaxed pace. Yuulmenieva’aery could feel the small force of water hitting his boots each time, like a greeting… Or perhaps a farewell, as the ocean pulled away after washing over his feet. 

He closed his eyes, concentrating on it all.

Water was a part of nature, especially the ocean, which seemed to be teeming with life. It felt different though, harder to get into. He wondered if it was possible for him… But he felt it was good to try. 

Yuul held his hand out, moving it in time with the water, slowly, back and forth. He did it in such a way that it felt like he was controlling the tides, though of course, he was not. He did hope it might trigger a reaction, though.

He did this for quite a long time, until he heard someone approaching him. He turned around to meet Loki’s eyes. 

“Loki…” He smiled.

“Yuul.” He walked up to him. He was wearing his asgardian garbs, black with green accents. On his head, he wore a horned crown. It was a new look. Yuul hadn’t seen it before. He wore a top which dipped all the way down, exposing Loki’s well-toned body. At the bottom, it was fastened to his belt with a golden brooch that was in the shape of a coiled serpent. Under the top, his body was covered by a dark, sheer and iridescent fabric. He hadn’t slicked his hair back, letting it fall over his shoulders in black waves.

Suddenly, Yuul felt like his heart was beating much faster. He tilted his head to look up at Loki. 

Loki smiled. “I thought that we could do something. Spend some time together, perhaps.”

Yuul blinked at him. “Are we not already?”

He chuckled. “Well... In a sense. But it is all very work related... Might as well make the best of things.”

“Well… That would be nice.” Yuul nodded. 

So, Loki offered Yuul his arm and together, they walked across the beach. For some reason, something about this felt different. Yuul wasn’t helping Loki with plans, nor were they going to train his powers. Loki just wanted to spend time with him… It made his face feel hot. They both were quite silent, although anytime Yuul looked at him, Loki gave him a smile. 

They made their way off of the beach and towards the forest nearby. It was only a small forest, although it was full of life. Like a tiny, sunny slice of paradise. As they entered, Yuul could hear a rustling of bushes and he turned to see a little doe peeking out at him from behind a rose bush. He smiled.

“Hello, little one,” he said, softly. 

The deer greeted him back. Of course, only he could understand it. 

Loki watched them with a smile on his face as the deer stepped out and nuzzled Yuul’s hand. He tried to take a step towards the deer, however, it moved back quickly, startled by his presence. Damn...

Yuul giggled. “It is all okay, little one. Loki will not harm you.” 

The deer looked at Loki, before moving closer again, allowing both of them to pet it. Loki found that deer reminded him of Yuul. Big eyes and gentle personality... He decided it must be because Yuul was half faun. Eventually, the deer trotted off to join a stag that was standing in the distance. He was a magnificent sight, with two horns that spread out like lightning.  
They continued on, Loki guiding him deeper into the forest until they reached a clearing. There, he had previously laid out a blanket with a basket of food and drink, next to the little stream that ran through the forest. He hoped Yuul would enjoy it…

“What is this?” Yuul asked. “Did you put this here?”

Loki nodded. “I did… I thought that we could eat together, surrounded by the flowers and trees, next to the stream.” He smiled. “I thought you would like it.”

“I do!” Yuul said. “I like it a lot... “ He looked down at the ground, Loki could see that his face was reddening. Ah, that made Loki’s face feel hot too. A slither of doubt rose in him, asking him if he was making a great mistake. 

He squashed it.

“Come, sit.” Loki took Yuul to the blanket and sat down beside him. He flicked a hand to the basket, opening it with his magic and proceeding to lift the food out and lay it upon the plates he’d conjured. It was somewhat inspired by the food in Asgard. He’d collected a whole variety of fruit and berries for Yuul, whereas he had a selection of meat himself. However, Loki had actually seasoned the meat with spices and herbs, something they never usually did in Asgard. He preferred it this way. 

“This is the sort of food we would eat in Asgard,” he explained.

“Oh!” Yuul smiled. “Y-You really did this for… Um…” he trailed off. 

Loki chuckled. He liked seeing Yuul nervous like this. “Try anything you like.” 

As they ate together, Loki noticed that Yuul avoided the meat. Ah, he had made the right guess there. 

Once they were done, they sat in silence together for a little, listening to the birds singing in the trees and the gentle rush of the stream. Loki looked at Yuul.

In Asgard, eating together was a big part of courting. Picnics were one of the most intimate forms. He remembered countless times that Thor had been courting some love-struck maiden, taking them for picnics or to watch him fight in a tournament. For Loki, he had never really had the time to court anyone. He’d seen it as a waste, a distraction from his studies. He’d worked so, so hard for all his life to impress his father… He only realised he had been denying himself this pleasure when his eyes fell on Yuul. 

The deer they had seen on the way crossed his mind, and he smiled.

“Loki… Would you like to play a game with me?” Yuul asked, quite suddenly.

“A game?”

“Yes! Well, I was reading and… In this story, they played a game where she ran and he chased her, then when he caught her, she would chase him. I thought it sounded quite fun.”

“Ah.” Loki smirked. “We can, my dear but I’m afraid that I will catch you within an instance.” Of course, he intended to go easy on Yuul. 

Yuul laughed, standing. “I would like to see that.” With that, Yuul took off, running into the forest. Loki stood, watching him for a moment, before he ran after him.

Yuul was fairly fast, although Loki knew that he could catch him at any moment he pleased, really. He saw him duck into the trees to hide. 

“Well…” Loki chuckled. “Where are you, little deer?” he called. He could sense that Yuul was behind the tree to his left. Feeling a slight rush, Loki headed straight for it and grabbed him. “Got you.”

Yuul laughed. “You did! It is my turn now.”

So, Yuul chased Loki and after a little moment of showing off, Loki allowed him to catch him. They exchanged like this for a few more rounds, chasing each other through the forest, hiding, sometimes cheating with their powers. 

Loki was chasing Yuul again now, his heart was beating fast and the rush he felt this time was stronger. Yuul couldn't outpace him but had worked out how to lose him quite effectively and that added sense of competition really made Loki want to catch him. He heard a rustle behind him and spun around, only to hear more rustling in a whole other direction. Loki closed his eyes for a moment, until he realised he could definitely hear Yuul running away to his right. Loki chuckled and ran for it, catching sight of Yuul quite far away. Loki caught up fast, however.

Upon catching up to him, Loki grabbed him. He spun him around and pushed him back into the tree, pinning both of his wrists above his head. He laughed, breathlessly, as he loomed over him. “I’ve got you,” he breathed. 

Yuul was breathing hard, his chest, which was partially exposed, rose and fell quickly. Loki locked eyes with him, moving in closer, keeping him pinned. “Loki,” Yuul murmured, his face was reddened. Loki could still feel that thrill boiling inside him, the satisfaction of winning. He leant in. 

“Can… Can I… Kiss you?” he asked in a whisper against Yuul’s ear. He pulled back slightly to look at him. Yuul nodded.

Immediately, Loki’s mouth was on his. He kissed him deeply, pulling his body against his own. Yuul’s hands, now free, wandered into Loki’s hair, running through it and tugging in response as Loki deepened it all. He could feel Yuul shaking, he knew that he was untouched. More than anything, Loki wanted to go further. He wanted to claim him, make him happy, take care of him. He started to kiss at his neck, making Yuul shudder and moan. 

Oh, that sound… Loki could happily listen to that for hours.

“L-Loki…” Yuul panted. “I…”

“Hm?” Loki hummed against his skin, fingers moving to the buttons of his shirt. He pulled back to look at him, to see if he was okay. 

“I… I… What are- Um… What are we doing?” Yuul asked. 

Loki took a deep breath, trying to contain himself. “I want you, Yuul.”

“Want me…” Yuul said in a pondering way.

“Yes…” Loki moved in again, continuing to kiss his neck. “I do… I do… Do you want me? Tell me.”

“I-I do, Loki…” Yuul said, softly.

Again, Loki went to unbutton his shirt, yet, he was interrupted by a familiar thought. A loud thought that demanded to be heard. What would happen after this? What if Yuulmenieva’aery came to hate him, just like everyone else? He shouldn’t, he thought. He might be a selfish person, yet… He felt wrong. Yuul deserved more. He deserved to be on a soft bed, wrapped in silken sheets, in the arms of a gentler person than himself...

Not fucked against a tree by a trickster.

He thought of the deer. No... He was a wolf. A predator. He'd eat the poor thing alive...

Loki pulled away, stepping back to release Yuul, who looked at him in confusion.

“What is it, Loki?” he asked.

“I… I’m sorry, I… We shouldn’t.”

Yuul frowned. “What do you mean?”

“We can’t do this, Yuul. We-We are only together as an arrangement. You know that. It wouldn’t be wise to go further than that.”

Yuul looked down. “Oh.”

Loki felt as if his heart was going to tear into two. What little heart he had remaining, anyway. Yuul looked like he was going to cry. He wanted to pull him in, he wanted to hold and comfort him. He couldn’t. This was how he needed to protect him.

“We are just an arrangement, Yuulmenieva’aery. Once we are done, we will likely separate. I’m sorry, it was wrong of me to entertain affection with you.” 

“I… I understand,” Yuul said, voice shaking. “I am sorry if I-”  
“No,” Loki interrupted. “This was me. Do not blame yourself.” However, even that made him feel guilty, as Yuul looked even more upset. Ah, everything he said was wrong... He shook his head. “Come, let us go back.”

“No,” Yuul said. “I… I would like to stay here for a little, if that is okay.”

Loki looked at him, then looked down and nodded, deciding to keep his mouth shut this time. 

He turned from him, leaving.


	23. Comics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are hard between Yuul and Loki.

Loki hadn’t really spoken to Yuul since what happened between them.

Sleeping in the same bed was no longer an option. It never should have been to begin with. He partially blamed it for the false sense of intimacy they’d shared. So, he simply conjured his own bed and slept in the forest. Not that he got much sleep. At night, it was the worst. 

He would lay there, staring at the sky, his chest heavy as he thought of how sad Yuulmenieva’aery looked or worse, how beautiful and kind he was. He wished Yuul was a crueler person, he wished he could comfort himself with the thought that ‘well, Yuul will betray me one day’. He couldn’t, of course. Yuul would never do that. Damn it.

The few times he did drift into sleep, he’d have nightmares. Seeing himself destroy Asgard, leading an army through it and turning it into nothing but rubble. His mother looking at him with pure heartbreak and horror, terrified of the beast he had become. He missed her. He wished he could see his mother right now.

Loki had tried to think of what she would say to him. Although, he knew it would be a sympathetic smile, slight disappointment in her voice as she would tell him that he needs to speak to Yuul, to communicate… To let Yuul in. She always had too much faith in him.

Yuul had seemingly been avoiding him, too. He only came to him to speak about plans he’d come up with. He wanted to do some sort of surprise attack. 

The fact he was diving into work like this made Loki’s guilt even worse. 

He was walking towards the beach, having just woken up from a very restless night’s sleep. It didn’t improve his rest that his wound was yet to heal, and seemed to be getting worse. It hurt all the time, now. 

He intended to try and sort his mind out today, get things back on track. He had enemies to crush. 

Then, he noticed that Yuul was on the beach. A little too late, too, since he’d spotted him. Loki’s heart sank as he continued to come closer, stopping right in front of the sea. 

They both stood in silence for a moment. Loki didn’t dare to look at Yuul, although he could tell that Yuul kept glancing over at him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see that Yuul appeared to be reading. 

Eventually, Loki just spoke up. “What… Ah, what are you reading?”

“Pride and Prejudice,” Yuul answered, immediately. Loki assumed that was one of the midgardian books they’d picked up. Personally, Loki hadn’t had much interest. He doubted midgardians were good story-tellers.  
“What is it about?”

“Well, it is… A romance, I would believe. Although, right now she cannot stand him. He is closed off and rather cruel but… I expect he will improve.”

Something about Yuul’s tone made Loki’s heart hurt. He hadn’t spoken to him like this before. Was he… Angry? Well, he supposed he deserved it. He knew he did. 

“It sounds… Intriguing.”

“Very.”

The gentle sound of the ocean rolling in and out filled the air, softening the blow of the silence that had fallen between them. Yuul turned a page in the book. 

Loki allowed himself a peak at him. 

He regretted it, though.

Yuulmenieva’aery’s hair was pulled into a side plait, which was messy and had ringlets sticking out from it here and there. He was wearing some of his robes, white with deep blue accents. As if to mock him, the sunlight caught in his hair, setting off all the colours that lived in his strands. He was always such a sight. Damn it. Damn it all.

Loki turned, a little too sharply than he’d intended. 

“Perhaps we should… Go somewhere else.” He wasn’t sure where.

“I have not worked out the attack yet,” Yuul replied.

“I know…” He sighed. “We can take them down anytime. I meant we should just move somewhere else. Staying around in one spot isn’t a good idea.”

“I suppose so…” Yuul’s voice went a little softer then. 

For a moment, Loki almost turned around to apologise profusely. Instead, he lifted his sceptre and looked at the stone, allowing for it to catch the light. It made him feel cloudier. More relaxed.

“Where would we go?” Yuul asked.

“I haven’t decided yet… But I will make that choice tonight. Pack what you want to bring.” Loki walked off towards the forest. Yuul watched him go.

~♚~ 

Yuulmenieva’aery sighed, trudging through the town that he’d found close by. Despite the fact that Loki had turned his form into what he would look like as a midgardian woman, he still kept his hood up. Thankfully, it was raining, which gave him the excuse to shield his face. 

He wasn’t quite sure why he’d asked for a feminine form. It had just felt right. It was a good disguise, yet, he still felt that it was a part of him. He’d let his hair fall completely free, his silvery ringlets blowing in the breeze, getting damp in the rain. Loki had said that keeping it silver without the other colours should be fine. After all, midgardians did dye their hair. 

A particular shop he passed caught his eye. He stopped to look at it. 

“Comics!” was all it said, on a big board with pictures of various characters. Some of them looked like Avengers…

He had really just come into the town to have some time alone and perhaps pick up some new books… Still, with his curiosity now piqued, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. 

The door set off a little bell, making a jingling sound. For a second, Yuul almost expected some sort of ambush. He pulled his energy into the earth, ready to grow up plants if that came to be. However, the only person he saw was a man behind a counter. He looked half asleep and only acknowledged Yuul with a small smile.

So, reminding himself that he was under disguise still, he walked further in and looked around. 

There were lots and lots of what looked like very thin books. They were crammed in boxes and on shelves, some of them on display to show what the cover looked like, which was always a vibrant piece of art.

In one corner, Yuul noticed a rack of clothing. Getting a closer look, they looked like the suits of the Avengers... He reached out, touching one hesitantly. It was made out of fabric and was clearly very weak. He frowned. These were clearly not real, yet, what purpose did they have? Perhaps this was still some sort of trick…

“Hi, can I help you?” a voice asked, suddenly.

Yuul jumped in surprise, spinning around to face whoever it was that was behind him. He looked down, seeing that it was a rather short midgardian woman. She looked at him a little confused, although she still wore a smile on her face. 

“Um…” Yuul breathed in. “Yes, actually… What are these?” he asked, gesturing to the clothing.

“Those? Oh! They’re costumes of the Avengers! Cool, right?” She beamed. “We got them shipped from Japan. They’re like cosplay gear. Really well made. I have the Iron Man one at home.” 

Her skin was dark and her hair was black, long, thick and curly. At her waist, the ends were a faded lilac colour, dyed, he realised. She had a little brooch on her top that said “Ken” on it. He didn’t really understand what she was saying, apart from that they were clothing made for fun.

“Were you interested in one of them?” she asked. 

“No, no.” Yuul smiled. “Thank you, however… Do… People really dress up as the Avengers? Why?”

Ken blinked. “Erm… Well, I think it’s just fun. I mean, the Avengers are really cool, y’know? It feels kinda epic to feel like one. Have you ever cosplayed before?”

Yuul shook his head. “I have not. What is that?” Hm, he wondered if she had perhaps been brainwashed by them. 

“Oh, like, when you dress up as something you’re not! You look like you would do that.” Her face reddened a little. “Sorry, was that weird?”

“No.”  
“It’s just that… You have really cool hair and really unusual clothes…”

Yuul nodded. He always looked like this... “Thank you.” 

“Well, if you need anything, just give me a shout, okay?” Ken said, before taking off to go and rearrange a rack of colourful tops. 

Yuul looked around the shop more, picking up a few of the thin books there. They seemed to be made of paper completely… How strange. He chose a few interesting looking ones and went to the counter, paying with the money that Loki had given him. 

As he headed for the door, Ken waved at him. He waved back.

~♚~ 

Loki was on the beach, waiting for Yuul to return.

He still wasn’t very sure where they would go. Somewhere closer to the Avengers, perhaps. They could watch them. After taking them down… What next? 

Asgard, was what he’d always decided. Yet, something about going back scared him. He would take the throne, be a good leader… But what if that wasn’t possible for him? 

“Loki.”

Loki turned to look at Yuulmenieva’aery, who was standing behind him. Huh. He hadn’t heard him approaching. 

“Yuul. Are you ready?”

“Yes.” He had a bag slung over his shoulder. 

Loki nodded. “Good. Then…” He took the Tesseract out. “Let’s go-” Suddenly, Loki felt a sharp, intense pain shoot up through his arm. He gasped, dropping the tesseract and clutching his shoulder. 

“Loki?” Yuul stared. “What is wrong?”

“I… Nothing, I just... “ Loki went to pick the Tesseract back up, but he ended up dropping to his knees, the pain spreading to his chest. He gasped. 

Yuul ran over to him, kneeling by his side. “Loki? Loki!”

His vision began to blur.

“Loki!” Yuul pulled him closer.

Everything went black.


	24. Back on Asgard

The gardens of Asgard were spectacular, really. Trees of golden fruit, flowers of every colour, vines that curled in intricate spirals. There were several arches made of gold, with flowery vines purposefully creeping all around them, a grand fountain in the centre and a path that led to the palace.

Still, despite all its beauty, Thor could not be soothed by it. 

He walked along the path, heading towards the palace. He had to speak with his father.

In the past, choosing to take the entrance in the gardens usually gave him a sense of comfort. He was able to push back his nerves, admire the scenery and remind himself that all would be well. Except, he knew that today, he was going to have to answer a lot of questions that he didn’t want to answer. 

He stepped into the castle and headed straight for the throne room.

He’d get it done quickly. 

He would do his best.

“Thor.” His father’s voice acknowledged him in such a powerful way. He always carried such a strong presence. Thor wanted to be that one day. 

“Father.” Thor bowed his head. Odin was on the throne, sitting back straight, sceptre in hand. He was the proper image of a king, of a god. He looked like he should have a halo of gold to highlight his head, like a painted icon. 

“I trust you have questioned Runa.” 

Thor nodded. “I have, father. She does not appear to know much.”

“Tell me.” 

He looked up at Odin, then back down at the floor quickly. “You know about the crystal giants on Midgard. Loki requested her help with trying to destroy them. She said it was just because she owed him something, nothing more.”

Odin let out a sigh. It was a casual sort, one that screamed disappointment. “Still, she assisted Loki. When I exiled her, I intended for her to have no sort of contact with Asgard ever again. She has disrespected that.”

Thor wanted to argue, instead he bit his tongue.

“There is more to it, though. I can tell, my son.” 

“I…” Thor shifted uncomfortably. “Nothing I can think of.” 

“I have heard from others that Loki has help from someone else.”

Thor went quiet, his heart sinking. “Well, yes…”

“Tell me of this mysterious helper.”

“Listen, father… It is clear that he doesn’t realise what Loki is capable of. Their marriage wasn’t even one of love, just an arrangement-”

“Marriage?” 

“I… Yes.”

Odin went quiet. Thor looked up at him, expecting to find him angry. Instead he found him amused. 

“So, my son is married…” Odin chuckled. “I would have never seen Loki as the kind to marry. I thought he would always be relatively alone.”

“Well, he is, father.”

“Then bring this husband to me. I want to meet him for myself.”

“But… Father, he is innocent in all this.” In truth, Thor wasn’t even sure about that.

“I simply want to talk to him, that’s all.”

“Yes, father…”

After a little more questioning, Thor left the throne room with a heavy heart. He always felt like he was betraying Loki in some way. 

He shook his head.

No.

Loki was the traitor.

Loki was the one that had turned his back on Asgard.

~♚~ 

When Loki opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was Yuulmenieva’aery, who was asleep beside the bed. He had his arms folded, with his head hanging to the side. 

Loki sat up, then winced when he did. He reached out to gently touch Yuul’s hand, hoping to wake him. 

Yuul’s eyes fluttered open. He stared at him, blinking. Then gasped. 

“Loki! Are you alright? How do you feel?”

“I’m…” Loki shook his head. “What happened?”

“You collapsed… It… Your wound, it is spreading. Look.” Yuul gestured down. Loki followed his gaze, finding himself shirtless, with marks coming down his chest. The same marks that had come from the shot in his arm. 

“Ah.” Loki traced one with his finger, then grunted as it flared with pain. 

“Loki… Lie down, I need to try and heal you.” 

“Yuul… This is clearly something you can’t just heal.” 

He frowned. “Let me try. Please.” 

Loki lay back. He had a feeling that Yuul had been trying for ages now. Yuul placed his hands on his chest and closed his eyes. Loki could feel the power that came from his hands, it was soothing, yet, he could tell it was not doing anything long-term.

After a while, he pulled back. He was shaking, his eyes tearful. “It… It will not…”

“It’s okay, Yuul. I’ll be okay.” Loki sat up. “I’ll be okay…” He didn’t know how much to believe that, though.

“Loki… When I was captured by the Avengers, I was told that it had a good chance of damaging you. Really damaging y-you. Perhaps even…” he trailed off. 

“It won’t.” Loki would not let himself be defeated, not like this. He couldn’t. 

“How do you know?”

“I’m a god, Yuul.”

“A dying god!” The raise of his voice shocked Loki. He had never heard Yuul like that. Yuul averted his gaze. “I… I am sorry, Loki… I...” 

“That’s okay.” Really, Yuul was too gentle to him. Too good. He should be shouting at him more often. He should tell Loki that he is a wicked, evil person. 

Yuul paused for a while. 

It hurt to see him like this.

“Rest, Loki,” he finally said as he stood up to leave their tent. 

Loki lay back down, finding sleep quicker than he had in a long time.

~♚~ 

Yuulmenieva’aery sat down close to the sea, watching the waves crashing in and out. 

He had to contact the Avengers, somehow.

Romanoff had said if he took Loki to them, they’d help him…

He wondered if Loki would hate him. 

Yet, if he left Loki like this… That would be the biggest betrayal of all.


	25. To Asgard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuul comes to a tricky decision.

It had been a few hours now and Yuul was still deep in thought.

He had to contact the Avengers somehow. He’d tried to track them through the earth, hoping that somehow one might be close by. It was to no avail, however. 

Yuul thought of convincing Loki to teleport them back to New York, except… It was an attempt at teleportation that had put him in this state of weakness in the first place. It was likely that he wouldn’t be able to manage it and even if he did, Yuul didn’t want to risk the effect that might have on him.

Just as he was getting frustrated, he heard the sky crackling above. It was a familiar crackle, not one of nature. Yuul knew immediately what it meant.

A light shot down from the sky above, a figure landing in the middle of it.

Thor.

Yuulmenieva’aery watched him. He clenched his fists, making a swift connection to the seeds in the ground below. He knew he could grow out trees if Thor tried to attack him.

The light faded and Thor stood, hammer in hand. He stepped out from the dent he’d created in the ground and stepped towards Yuul. Noticing his fists, he put his hand up, keeping his hammer low in the other. “I come peacefully,” he said.

Yuul nodded, loosening his posture, although he kept his connection strong. “What is it that you seek?” 

Thor frowned. “I have heard that Loki… That my brother has been hurt. I wish to help.”

“How?”

“Asgard’s healers will be able to treat him.”

Yuul narrowed his eyes. “During my capture, I spoke with Romanoff for quite a long time. She said that they would be able to help with it.”

“Perhaps. However, this is a wound created by a magical source, is it not? It drains magic, therefore, it must be magic. Asgardians will know better than any midgardian.”

Yuul thought about it. His head almost hurt from how unsure he was. “I… I fear Loki is dying. I do not suppose I have much of a choice.” It was the right thing to do. It was the most loyal thing to do.

Thor nodded. “Listen… I… My mother will not allow Loki to be executed, I can assure you of that.”

Yuulmenieva’aery looked up. ‘Oh, if you think for a moment that I will let Loki be imprisoned, you are mistaken,’ was what he thought. He wanted to say it, to spit it in Thor’s face but he knew better. 

One must always keep plans quiet, no matter how arrogant they might feel.

“Will you take me to him?” Thor asked. 

Yuul nodded. 

He led Thor to the tent and stepped inside. Loki looked to be still resting, his eyes closed. 

Carefully, Yuul pulled back the blanket to show Thor the marks that had spread across his chest. Thor’s expression did shift to one of concern. Yuul hoped that was real. 

“Yes… We must take him back to Asgard,” said Thor. “Now.”

“I… Alright.” Yuul would get Loki out as soon as possible. He would. 

“Can you lift him?” Thor asked.

Yuul scoped Loki up in his arms, carefully. He stirred, although remained asleep, thankfully. He must be really weakened, Yuul realised. He then realised he had forgotten the sceptre and when Thor wasn’t looking, he grabbed it and managed to tuck it into his belt at the back. Hopefully his cape would obscure it enough...

They stepped outside and Thor put an arm around Yuul. He lifted his hammer and shouted. “Heimdall! Take me back!”

A bright light shot down, surrounding them. It was so bright that it hurt Yuul’s eyes. He squeezed them shut, holding Loki close 

Then, they were away.

~♚~ 

When Loki opened his eyes, he could hear humming.

It was a familiar humming. Calming, gentle, soft. It was comforting.

It was his mother.

He shot up, looking around the room.

It was clearly an asgardian room. No, it was… His room. He stared, disbelief sinking in. No, this had to be a dream. Soon, everything would shift to chaos and burning and him being the source of it.

“Loki… You’re awake.” 

Loki looked around, meeting the gaze of Frigga. His mother.

“Mother…?” he said, voice shaky. 

“Yes, Loki.” She crossed the room with well practiced elegance, sitting on the bed. She placed a hand on his cheek. “How do you feel? We’ve begun the healing process. It… Will likely take a while but… You will be okay.” She smiled, reassuringly.

Loki looked down, noticing that he was bandaged up. 

This was real.

Then…

He looked up. “Where is my husband?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it was so short, guys!


	26. Unknowing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now on Asgard, who can Loki and Yuul trust?

Yuulmenieva’aery paced up and down the hallway, rubbing at the cord of gold that wrapped right around his wrist. 

“It’s just for my father’s peace of mind,” Thor had said whilst he secured the band around him. “You understand… You are still a potential danger. This will come off when my father is sure that you are safe.”

Whilst Yuul did understand, it still filled him with resentment. More than anything, he wanted Loki to be healed and for them to run. He didn’t care where they went, just anywhere safe. He was tired. 

So, so tired.

He stopped to rest against the wall, a groan escaping his lips. 

Anytime he stopped, however, he would be confronted with how much his life had been turned upside down. He was married, banished from his homeland, constantly fighting and on the run. Within such a short amount of time, he’d made more personal enemies than he had in his entire life.

Yet… What made his heart ache the most was Loki.

He made Yuul feel something. 

Something that he’d never felt previously, a feeling that he could never have imagined. When he looked at Loki, it was not just another being he saw. He saw the way the sun caught in his eyes, the way his hair fell in delicate, inky waves, the way his touch was soothingly cold, the way his voice softened to Yuul in a way that it never softened to anything else.

The way their lips had felt together.

Then, the pain of Loki’s rejection.

He clutched a hand over his chest, closing his eyes and attempting to steady his breath. 

Loki needed to be okay.

He had to be.

A door opened to his right, directly beside him. He watched as a group of asgardian women walked out from it, all organised in a little line. The first two didn’t notice him, as they were clearly already in deep conversation with one another. The other three, however, all stared at him, wary and suspicious.

Yuul averted his gaze, instead admiring the clothing they wore. Metallically coloured silk gowns that were adorned with colourful patterns. Most of them had decorative armour. Intricate shoulder pads that were shaped into roses, golden chest pieces that shone with every movement, plates on the hands that were like claws over their fingers.

They passed him quickly, hurried footsteps clattering against the glass floor. He wondered, briefly, what they must think of him.

The ugly prince. The memory was bitter in his mind.

“The allfather will see you now.”

Yuul turned to the voice, realising that there was a woman standing just beside him. Her hair was long, deep red, tied into two braids that fell over her shoulders. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her. There was something different about her. She didn’t regard him with the same suspicion.

“Yes, yes…” Yuul muttered, following her as she began to lead him through the door. 

He felt nervous, on his way to meet the father of the man that had come to mean so much to him. 

To meet a man that he already hated.

The woman was humming to herself. It was a strange hum, low, soft, yet unpleasant in a way that he couldn’t place. She reached out, skimming the wall with her fingers. They went down a set of spiralled stairs and towards a large door. It looked important, so Yuul could only imagine that it lead to the throne room.

The woman stopped, turning to him. She made eye contact and he realised that her eyes were a deep crimson. 

“If I were you, I would leave right now,” she said. 

Yuul narrowed his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood for threats. “Open the doors.”

She laughed. “Your choice, husband of Loki.” Then, she pushed the doors open and stood aside.

Yuulmenieva’aery stepped into the room.

~♚~ 

“Where is my husband?” Loki repeated, voice coming out more desperate than he’d wanted. 

Yuul hadn’t betrayed him, had he?

He wouldn’t.

His mother sighed, rubbing her hands together in that way she did when she was about to tell him something that he didn’t want to hear. “Your father has summoned him to the throne room.” She straightened her back. “To talk,” she added, as if that made it any better.

Loki stared, then ran a hand through his hair. “I need to go.” He stood, although it hurt worse than ever before. That was the thing about getting help, it always seemed to make things worse. 

“No! Loki!” Frigga stood, placing her hands on his shoulders in an effort to get him to get back on the bed. He didn’t budge, however. 

“Mother… I do not trust father- Odin. You know him, do you not? You know he is set to destroy me, as well as anything that is close to me. I’m not his son, especially not now.”

She stared into his eyes, her gaze made Loki’s stomach twist into a familiar knot. Her hands fell, as well as her gaze. “That… That is not true, Loki,” 

Loki went for the door, although Frigga caught his hand. “No, Loki, you need to rest. Please, I’ll go, I’ll make sure your husband is okay. Just rest.”

He tore his hand away, glaring at her now. “No.”

Then, he left the room, biting back the pain.


	27. The Allfather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuul finally meets Odin.

The throne room was glorious. Possibly one of the most glorious throne rooms that Yuulmenieva’aery had ever been in. Although, he could only remember a few different ones when he was younger. When his father was prouder of him and brought him along to other planets. 

Asgard’s was completely golden. Intricate patterns swirled in the walls, making every single corner look like a masterpiece. The floors were so polished that Yuul could see his reflection so clearly that he almost felt he could fall through it. 

He looked up, seeing that before him were stairs, golden like the rest of the room. They lead up to a large throne. 

There, sitting upon the throne, was a man. Though old, he still held a mighty air about him. A sceptre in his hand, his one eye fixed on Yuul. 

Odin. The father of his husband.

Suddenly, Yuul was very aware that he was completely alone with him. 

“I take it that you are the one my son has married?” he asked. His tone was calm, casual. Yuul didn’t like it one bit.

“I am. What do you wish of me?”

Odin stared for a moment, before the flicker of a smile appeared on his face. He stood up. “I wanted to meet you, of course. After all, you are married to my son!”

Yuul had to be careful. He thought carefully. “I am afraid to disappoint you but... It is nothing more than an arrangement for the sake of power.”

“Is that why you risked coming here to save him?”

Yuul’s breath hitched. “I… It is simply that-”

Odin held his hand up. “I am sure my son has told you many things, Yuulmenieva’aery. I am sure these things have made you care for him.” He began to walk down the stairs. Once he was level with Yuul, he continued. “Loki is… He has always been a trickster, really… And because of that, he never really had many friends or close bonds. I understand this would make him seem tragic in ways, something you need to save, change.”

Yuul stayed quiet, allowing the allfather to talk.

“I am sure Loki has used this in ways, too. I’m sure he has made you feel special. Loved, perhaps.” He looked at Yuul, eyes sickeningly sympathetic. “I love my son, I do… But he has become a cruel hearted thing.” 

Yuul breathed in.

_ If you wish for me to play the part of the sorrowful lover, then I will. _

Closing his eyes for a moment, he concentrated. Then, tears began to well in his eyes. He looked down at the ground, backing away a little. 

“D-Do you mean to… Tell me that he does not love me?” Yuul asked after a long pause, making sure that his voice was shaking with grief. 

Odin stopped for a moment. Yuul could see in his eyes that he was choosing his next words with careful consideration. “It’s not as… Simple as that. He might, in the way that he can. I fear he is incapable of loving in the way that you would be loving him. I can see you are sacrificing for him. I understand that your people have exiled you.”

Yuul looked away, allowing for the tears to spill down his face. “It is true… They did not agree with him as a ruler. My… My father disowned me for loving him. Loki… Loki said he loved me, it really seemed that he-he meant it.”

“I know… I know, child.” Odin reached to take Yuul’s hand, although Yuul flinched away. He didn’t trust that. He was sure that he was capable of digging all sorts of things up from touch alone. Odin backed off, apologetically. “You can stay in Asgard for a while. I will find you somewhere else to go. Somewhere far away, where you can start a new life.”

“Thank… Thank you,” Yuul said. Child… Odin had called him ‘child’. Good. 

After a long enough pause, he fell to his knees and began to sob. “I-I love him… I really do…”

“I know,” Odin said, softly. “You will find another to love.”

“I-I do not know how…” 

Just then, the doors of the room swung open. Yuul looked up. 

It was Loki.

He looked enraged.

“Loki…” Odin began. Yuul saw his hand tightening on his sceptre, it reminded him of Loki’s sceptre, which he still had hidden beneath his cloak. Without use of his own powers, Yuul instead reached beneath his cloak to run his fingers over it.

“What are you doing with him?!” Loki shouted. 

“You shouldn’t be in here, Loki,” Odin said. His tone was a warning one. Yuul didn’t like it.

Loki’s eyes flashed to meet Yuul’s. His anger didn’t seem to fade. “Why are we here, Yuul? Why did you bring us here?” Seeing the tears, Loki softened, just for a moment. “What’s happening, Yuul?”

For their survival, he had to be quick. He had to think quickly. 

Yuul stood, shakily, then flung himself into Loki’s arms, allowing himself to fall apart all over again. Loki was already weak, he fell back onto the floor, Yuul on top of him. He’d apologise later for that.

“P-Please do not… Do not be angry at-at me, Loki… I had to save you… This was the only way, bringing you here, please… Please let them help you…!” Yuul said, between sobs.

“I… Yuul…” 

Yuul sat up a little, to look at Loki. “We-We needed to come. You could have died without help.”

Loki looked at him, frowning. He spoke quietly. “Yuul, he will throw me into a dungeon the second I heal.” 

Yuul sniffled, shaking his head. 

He could hear Odin was getting closer. 

“I… Loki, I love you! You said you loved me… You do still love me, do you not?” Before Loki could give a response, Yuul leant down and kissed him, deeply. 

Loki froze up for a moment.

Then, he relaxed, kissing him back.

For a moment, it felt as though they were somewhere else entirely. For that moment, Yuulmenieva’aery’s heart began to truly ache. 

He pulled away, whispering against his lips, “I will get you out of here, once you are healed. I promise.” He then sat up, going back to sobbing.

“Come, enough playing games with this poor boy, Loki,” Odin said. “Go back to your mother. Now.”

Loki sat up, glaring. Yuul threw his arms around him again, continuing to cry. “Push me off,” he whispered in Loki’s ear.

Loki did so, although quite gently. He stood up, eyes still on Odin. His body was shaking with rage. He then winced and clutched at his arm. 

“Rest, Loki,” Odin said. 

Loki looked to Yuul, who was still on the floor, then at Odin again. Letting out a frustrated growl, he left the room. Yuul could see that he was followed by four guards. He hoped Loki wouldn’t try anything…

He stood.

In the back of his mind, Yuul wondered why he found it so easy to play the part of the desperate lover. To tap into such a feeling of pain, of heartbreak. Perhaps there was more truth to it then he knew. 

He would have to be careful about that, for it could ruin it all.

For a moment, all was silent. Then, Odin made a tapping sound on the floor with his sceptre. Another door opened and three asgardian women stepped into the room. 

“Go with them, boy. You will be cared for.”

Yuul nodded his head, wiping the tears away. He joined the women, who all looked sympathetic, apart from one. It was the red headed one from before, he realised. 

Just before they left the room, Odin called after him. “And banish Loki from your thoughts.”

~♚~ 

As Loki walked down the hall, he shot a few glares at the guards behind him. He hated being followed like this. In the castle he had once called home, he was now nothing but a criminal.

“Loki!” his mother called, who was heading towards him in a hurry. “What did you do?” she asked. 

“Nothing, mother.” He realised he sounded like a scolded child.

She looked relieved. “Come, you need to rest…” 

“I’m coming.” 

Now that he walked with his mother, the guards let him be. He relaxed, allowing himself to wince in pain. 

They reached his room and Frigga quickly got to replacing his bandaging, as well as casting a spell to numb the pain. Loki lay back in bed, his head full of thoughts.

Yuulmenieva’aery was up to something… Whilst Loki didn’t know if he could rely on it, he was impressed.

He ran a finger over his lips, thinking of Yuul’s kiss. 

It had been for show this time, of course. Still, he felt guilt for kissing back, because he had meant every moment of it.


	28. Dresses

The land of Asgard was akin to the many descriptions of paradise that Yuul had read throughout the years. In fact, Asgard was more beautiful than words could ever describe. It was golden, shrouded in bright light. Iridescent colours flickered in the clouds, miniature, eternal rainbows.   
The water in Asgard was unlike the water from anywhere else. It was the very definition of pure. Clear and shining like crystals when pouring down the various fountains. 

The particular fountain that Yuul was sitting by was shaped like a woman holding a cup, the water cascading down from it. She was carved to be beautiful, hair in perfect ringlets, her features soft, her body only covered by a thin dress. Yuul had contemplated the statue all morning. 

She looked sorrowful, he thought. The cup was almost a burden or… Something. He couldn’t decide. Still, he felt as though he could feel her, for anytime he gave himself time to feel, it was sorrow that reared its head. 

It was just as well, though. As it was sorrow that he had to rely on.

_‘I am an innocent, blinded by his love, lost in despair,’_ was what he repeated in his head. Yes… Perhaps they would even allow him access to his powers if he fooled them enough. Then… Then it would be easy. Easy enough to get Loki free. 

“I hope you are enjoying your time on Asgard,” said a voice behind him. 

He looked around to see a woman with golden hair, dressed in a light purple gown that was adorned with glittering jewels near the top, with sleeves so long that they trailed along the ground. Upon her shoulders sat rose gold armour plates, intricate and delicate. Her hair gleamed with jewels woven into tiny plaits. 

The way she carried herself made it clear to Yuul that she was someone important. A kind face, aged further than the asgardian girls that had been fussing over him and dressing him up in asgardian clothes that morning.

“I-I am…” he replied, softly.

She smiled. “I do apologise for not meeting you sooner, Yuulmenieva’aery. I am Frigga, mother of Loki. I hear that you and my son are married?”

Yuul stared at her for a moment, then nodded. “We… We are, yes. Is he okay?” 

“He is recovering.” She sighed, sitting down next to Yuul. “The wound has… Spread very far.”

“I... Is he going to be okay? I… I am sorry, I should have… I should have brought him here sooner… I…” Yuul held his head in his hands.

“No, no.” Frigga put a gentle hand on his back. “Loki has always been one to mask his pain, to hide it. You couldn’t have known how bad it was. It is not your fault.”

Yuul looked up at her, meeting her eyes. 

“He will be fine… Don’t worry,” she said.

“O-Okay…”

Silence fell over them for a moment as Yuul recovered. Loki… He wished he could see Loki. He looked at her.

“Can I see Loki soon?”

Frigga opened her mouth to say something, then hesitated. She rubbed her hands together, averting her gaze. Yuul’s heart sank. 

“I… Am afraid that my husband wants to keep you two as separate as possible. He says it is for your own good.”

He bit back the frustration, instead focusing on the pain. “Loki never hurt me, though… Please, I need to see him!”

She looked at him, frowning. “I do not doubt the love you two share, however… Loki is… He is a criminal now. He needs help-”

“Can I not help him?” Yuul interrupted.

“... I don’t know.”

“Can I not see him in secret at least?”

“I shouldn’t… I can’t do that.”

Yuul fell silent, looking down at his hands. He was fighting back tears. 

He would get Loki free.

After another long silence, Frigga spoke. “Your hair is such a lovely colour… Like opals.” She was smiling comfortingly. “Would you let me braid it sometime? I think it would look so lovely in some of the asgardian styles.”

He nodded. “If that is what you wish…”

“You’re a pretty thing, Yuul. I don’t suppose you would let me dress you up? It could be fun! I would like to spend more time with you. You are the husband of my son, after all. Come!” She stood.

Yuul stood up and followed her through the garden, not saying much. 

_‘The husband of Loki,’_ he thought to himself. _‘I am the husband of Loki. I am blinded by love, lost in despair.’_

He spent quite some time with Frigga. She had a whole array of dresses, every colour and shade and combination imaginable. She also had a selection of armour, which appeared to often be paired with dresses and silks in Asgard. 

By the end of it, Yuul was wearing a flowy, white and blue dress with an intricate plate of armour across his chest. Resting on each shoulder were roses made of silver, which had shimmering beads hanging from them.

His hair had been done up into three plaits, with a few loose ringlets framing his face. At the end of each plait was a large silver ring, securing it.

He looked in the mirror. He had already been dressed in asgardian clothes before… Yet this was clearly much more of a high status look.

Frigga was standing behind him, looking proud. “You look like a fine young man.”

“Thank you,” Yuul said. 

Subconsciously, he fiddled with the band around his wrist. He hated the feeling of it, stifling his powers. Frigga’s eyes flickered over to it.

“Ah… That must be uncomfortable. I am sorry about that,” she said.

“It is… I understand why though.”

She smiled. “What powers do you possess? I heard something about a connection to nature. That you have faun blood?”

Yuul thought for a moment. “Yes… It is quite weak, though…”

“That’s strange. You look very much like a faun. Well, you are lacking in hooves and your face isn’t as distinct… Yet…”

Hurriedly, Yuul changed the topic. “Could you… Um… Show me around Asgard?” He turned to look at her.

Frigga’s eyes widened a little, then she smiled. “Why, of course. Come!”


	29. Helping hand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for missing the update last week! I was busy!

Loki had almost forgotten the ceiling of his bedroom. 

He’d painted it to look like a starry sky, with illustrations of asgardian stories that his mother told him in the constellations. It was quite simple, now that he really looked. However, when he’d been younger, he’d seen it as a fine accomplishment. 

Agnar the Three Headed Warrior had always been Loki’s favourite when he was a child. It was all about Agnar, a scaled man that had three heads. Of course, sometimes the heads would fight over things and would all have different personalities and views, yet, they still all responded to the name “Agnar”. It was strange, now that he really thought about it. 

He sat up, wincing as he did. His body still ached, although it had been numbed significantly by the healing his mother and the other healers had provided.

He used to think of his bedroom fondly. It was a place in his mind that he’d missed. A safe space that he could look back on.

Now, it was effectively a prison. Any day he would be seen by the guards and escorted to the real cells that they had below. 

Knowing his father, Yuul could very well be joining him. Except he was sure that his father would keep them so far apart that he’d never even know. The thought scared and infuriated him. 

Loki wondered what Yuul was doing. Was he being careful? He thought of the last time he had seen him. He hoped he hadn’t dropped the act. Pretending to be using Yuul would be the only way that would keep him safe, despite how much it stung. 

He thought of his kiss with Yuul.

His chest ached.

~♚~ 

“Tell me again about your people, Yuul!” said a voice, jolting Yuul from his deep thoughts. 

It was Sigfrid, one of the maids that had been taking care of him. She put her hand on his arm, a wide smile on her freckled face. “I need to know more. I simply must!”

He felt his face get hot at the contact and he resisted the urge to pull his arm away, instead walking with her. It wasn’t that he minded. Not at all. In fact, he’d grown fond of Sigfrid the most. He was simply afraid of troubling her. The less people involved with him, the better. 

“I am not sure what else to tell you. I think I have told you all that I know.” 

“Oh… But you grew up there! Surely you would know more! They’re your people!” she insisted.

He shook his head. “I really do not have much to tell you.”

“Well… Why did they call you the ugly prince?” 

Yuul looked at her. “I… Do not know. It is what they thought of me.”

She frowned. “But… You aren’t ugly at all? The horn isn’t so bad, you have a pretty face, interesting eyes and your hair is so very enviable…” She reached out, touching one of the plaits Frigga had put in his hair that day. 

He could feel himself getting red. “Thank you, then.”

Sigfrid had lovely hair already, though. It was light blonde, although he felt that it almost had a pinkish warmth to it. It glistened like rose gold in the sun. He wondered if she saw her own beauty. Then, he wondered if he really was beautiful himself.

Yuul had never really considered it. He was called the ugly prince. That was that. 

Did Loki find him to be beautiful?

He stopped by the fountain, peering into the water and gazing upon his reflection. His hair was glistening with all sorts of colours, especially bright in the sunlight. He was wearing one of the many gowns he’d been given during his time in Asgard, it was a deep green and it reminded him of Loki. His face… He reached up to touch his face. He didn’t know how to perceive it. What to think. 

Ugly. 

Sigfrid’s reflection joined his. 

“What was it like?” she asked. “Being married to him… To prince Loki.”

Yuul looked around at her. He then looked down. “Wonderful, I...I love him.”

“Was he… Nice to you? All I have ever known much of was his betrayal. Before that, you really would not see much of him. Which is strange, because I have full access to the castle, lady Frigga trusts me.” 

“He was.” Yuul nodded. “Very kind to me… Kinder than anyone ever had been to me before. I… I love him. I do. I love him so much. He told me things, beautiful things. Made promises…” He looked away when the tears started to come.

She took his hand. “I’m sorry… It must be so difficult. I can only imagine...”

Yuul met her eyes, blinking away the tears, he smiled instead. “It is very difficult.”

As he looked at her, what she’d just said before clicked in his head. 

Full access to the castle. Sigfrid had full access.

He looked around, quickly. Then looked at her again. “Sigfrid… Do you… Really have full access?” 

“I… Well, yes! Okay, okay, perhaps not where the allfather keeps all of his treasures and artifacts… And I try to avoid the dungeons the best I can. Everywhere else, though!”

“Would that… Mean you can see Loki?”

She nodded. “I have been bringing his food! He’s usually asleep, though.”

Yuul was about to ask about other things. Like if she listened in on conversations between Odin and Frigga, if she saw things she shouldn’t. Except… It’d be too obvious. No… Sigfrid was the type to overshare. If she had information, he would pry it out of her in conversation.

“Would you be able to… Deliver letters?” he asked.

She stared. “I… I don’t know. Would that really be for the best? He may… He may lie to you even more.”

“He will not. Please, Sigfrid.” The desperation in his voice was real.

“Okay… Okay.” She nodded. “I can do that. I’m sure a few little letters will not hurt…”

Yuul’s face lit up. “Thank you! Thank you…” Before he knew it, he was embracing her. Quickly, he pulled away, embarrassed with himself. However, she laughed.

“Of course, Yuul. I cannot be the one to stand in the way of love, can I? I mean… Secret letters! How romantic!” 

He smiled at her and she smiled back. After a pause, she looked to the door in the gardens that lead to the castle. “I should probably go. Prepare a letter and find me, just slip it into my hand if you must. I’ll get it to prince Loki.”

“Thank you, Sigfrid. Thank you so much.”

She shot another smile at him, nodding her head before turning and leaving. Yuul watched her. 

Now alone in the garden, he let out a sigh and sat down. A shudder went through him. The way he had been thinking reminded him of his upbringing. Planning, deception, destruction. Even though it lacked the last part… He was using Sigfrid. What if she got in trouble? 

She hadn’t seemed worried about that…

He thought of Loki. He had to help Loki. He had to get him out of here. 

Yuul thought of the letter. What should he write? He couldn’t be too obvious. He had to be careful. Be very careful.


	30. Writing

Yuul stared at the piece of paper that lay before him. A perfect sheet of white, entirely untouched. He felt he had been here all day. 

He had been here all day!

His eyes flickered over to the pile of crumpled paper that sat just beside him. It was a small pile, yet, it still frustrated him. He ran a hand through his hair, not caring that he was messing up the intricate plaits that had been put there. 

This was one of the hardest things he had ever really done. He wasn’t good with emotion, he never had been. Being brought up by an emotionless species had made sure of that. Feeling emotions as a whole was difficult for him. What were they?

Why did he think of Loki and feel his chest tighten? Why did his eyes water with tears when he held the thought for long enough? Sadness, it was all sadness. 

He had felt sadness before, of course but he didn’t allow his mind to ever touch that dark side of his memory. 

Yuul closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. 

Love was the worst of all.

For some of the letters, he thought he had loved too much. He had shown too much genuine feeling to Loki, described his smile, his laugh, his eyes, his strange kindness with all too much fond detail. 

He had to remind himself of their encounter in the forest. How Loki had pulled away and rejected him. That wall he had put up was still there. 

Yuul had to play the lover in these letters, yes, but in a way that Loki would view as fake. How would he do that?

If he came off too unfeeling, anyone that might read his letters would be suspicious.

He wished he could ask Loki what to do.

Just like that, his eyesight blurred, his heart aching painfully. He tilted his head up to look at the ceiling, losing himself in his thoughts. This letter… This was only the first letter. With this, his main objective was to help Loki understand. To make Loki trust him. Yet, he could very well only scare him off.

He had put Loki here to begin with.

Not that he’d had much choice.

He closed his eyes, allowing the tears to slip down his face. He didn’t bother wiping them away. He would let himself feel, just for now. 

He thought of Loki, wondered where he was. Was he healing well? The last time he had spoken with Frigga, she had told him that Loki’s healing was going as it needed. That was good…

Once he felt he had relaxed, he looked at the paper again. 

The letter could be short, simple. 

He picked up the quill, which was a magnificent golden feather and dipped it into the ink. He began writing, quickly, like a desperate lover would. It was a small letter, nothing special. He sat back, sighing. For a moment, he began to doubt himself again, yet, he knew he shouldn’t waste anymore time mulling this over and torturing himself.

Yuul stood up, neatly folding the letter until it was a tiny square. He then left the room, the paper secure in his fist. 

He walked through the halls of Asgard, unsure where anything was. He didn’t know where to find Sigfrid… However, he knew that she often walked through the gardens as a shortcut to different parts of the castle. So, that is where he chose to wait, sitting by the fountain as he normally did. 

Yuul gazed into the water, watching the fish as they swam peacefully around. They were tiny things, with millions of multi-coloured scales, reminding him of the opalescent quality of his hair in some ways. When he dipped a finger in, they all nibbled at it. 

“Oh, Yuulmenieva’aery! Hello!” he heard a voice say. He looked up, meeting Sigfrid’s eyes. She was breathing heavily and leaning against one of the trees. For a moment, he considered leaving the letter for another day… She already looked busy enough. 

“Hello, Sigfrid. Are you alright?”

“Yes! Yes… I just had to… Um, run from room to room a lot today. I feel that I haven’t stopped until now!” She laughed, beginning to catch her breath. “My work is often overlooked, just because I do not fight with a sword or use magic or anything like that. However, I would like to see how some of our warriors would handle what I do.”

Yuul smiled, nodding his head. “There is a lot of hard work to be done that does not involve any sort of fighting.”

“That’s right!” She walked over to him and sat beside him. Sigfrid then reached back and undid her braid, shaking her hair out into a beautiful mess of shiny, golden waves. She groaned. “I should have done that earlier… That braid was really tight, it’s given me a really bad headache…”

Yuul frowned. “I do not know to what extent my powers are limited but I can try to ease that for you,” he offered.

She looked at him. “You can do that?”

He nodded. “Yes. It is one of the good parts of my powers.”

“Okay, try it!”

Yuul put his hand to her head, closing his eyes and concentrating. He could feel the life around them, luscious plants and flowers, the sound of many little heartbeats of birds and mice and other small animals. The fluttering of butterfly wings, the swish of fish tails. Then, the life of Sigfrid. Borrowing a small fragment of energy from the flowers, he attempted to soothe her head. Already, he could feel where he was limited. Odin really was not taking any chances.

He heard Sigfrid sigh, then giggle. “That really does feel better… Thank you, Yuul. You really do seem so gifted.”

“I do?”

“Mhm! It’s like… Connection to nature, right? Being half faun…”

He nodded.

“Fauns are really interesting, actually… Do you remember much of your homeland?”

Yuul frowned. “No… I… Was raised by my father, remember?”

“Oh.” She looked somewhat horrified. “Sorry! I… Do not have the best memory. Yes, I remember, planet of crystals. I… Did you really never visit the faun lands?” 

“Never.” Yuul had wanted to. In fact, he often wished he had been raised there instead. He imagined it would be so much better, with nature all around him, with his desire for peace celebrated and his love of animals seen as power.

He saw his mother, then. Her deer-like face, two horns, hair that was so long it touched the ground, hooves for feet, the clothing she wore that looked like it was made purely from leaves. Her voice, soft, kind. 

Then, he saw her hands, bloodied. Her chest, bleeding. 

“Yuul, my little fawn, it is all okay, it is okay,” she had said, voice weak, strained. 

Perhaps if his mother had taken him there to begin with, she would still be here.

“Yuul?” 

He looked at Sigfrid, ripping himself from his thoughts. “Yes?”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes… Apologies.” He straightened his back, forcing a smile. “I got lost in thought.”

“Ah…” She nodded her head. Then, she stood, pulling her hair over her shoulder and putting it into a loose braid. She turned to him. “I should probably go now. I’ll be back later if you are still here?”

“Wait.” Yuul stood. He looked around quickly before taking her hand, sliding the folded letter into it. She met his eyes. A look of understanding washed over her and she nodded her head. Then, she turned and walked towards the castle, disappearing off inside.


	31. The Letter

Loki was pacing to one side of his room, to the other, ignoring the stab of pain he felt in doing so. If his mother saw him doing this, he’d be scolded like a child. Not that he had much energy to care. 

He was healing now. 

He wasn’t happy about it.

Every day spent here, every hour, every minute, every second. It was closer and closer to being thrown in a dungeon. The only reason he knew it would be a dungeon and not execution was that his mother would never let that happen. His father, on the other hand, would probably have had him killed the second he arrived here. Yuulmenieva’aery along with him, even!

Loki felt the sickening feeling of stress and anxiety creeping up on him. He sat down on the bed and groaned.

“Yuul, what have you done?” he asked in a mutter.

He would have been fine if they had not come here, he was sure of that. Yet, here Yuul was, believing all their lies and taking him back to his father. He felt guilty for being angry about it. Yuul had just been scared…

He had been worried. 

Worried about Loki.

Loki wasn’t used to people worrying over him, not when they had no sort of obligation to.  
He had hurt Yuul before that, too.

He thought of their time in the forest. He knew he had hurt Yuul. So, why? Why did he care? Why was he bothering so much? Did he not know how much danger they were both in now?

Loki ran a hand through his hair, strands falling in front of his eyes. Black… A colour that had always set him apart from his golden family.

Tears began to well up in his eyes, stinging a little. 

He felt lost. 

He thought of Yuul. 

There was a knock at the door, tearing him from his thoughts. He looked up, quickly rubbing his eyes with a hand to get rid of any tears. “What is it?”

“Your food, my lord!” 

Loki groaned, flopping back on the bed. “Come in.”

The door opened and one of the serving girls, Sigfrid, came in. She was holding a tray, which had a bowl of stew on it, as well as a chalice of water. She smiled, putting it down on the bedside table. 

“I hope you are healing well, my lord.”

Loki looked at her. The people that came into his room never talked to him. In fact, they usually seemed scared, moving quickly and trying not to look at him. Here Sigfrid was, smiling at him! 

“Thank you,” he said. 

“You… Um, might want to check under your bowl. There might be something that fell under it.” 

He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Just… Check! To be sure!” She did a small bow and quickly left the room, closing the door behind her. Loki frowned. A strange girl. Still, he found himself lifting the bowl.

There was a tiny, folded piece of paper.

He felt his heart stop for a moment.

Yuulmenieva’aery immediately came to mind.

Throwing a glance around the room, he took the paper and slowly unfolded it, holding it up to read it. 

_ “Loki, my love, my sun, my everything,_

_I hope this letter finds you safely. I could not take the thought of not being able to talk to you. I spend my days thinking about you, what I would say to you. Yet, I find that now I have the opportunity, I cannot make my mind up on what to write. _

_Today, I saw a bird. It was white, pure white, with beautiful blue eyes. It was in the garden, picking flowers up in its beak. Then, I saw a snake. The snake was as black as a shadow, its eyes were like emeralds set in black gold. It slithered towards the bird and the bird stayed in place. For one moment, I thought the bird was about to meet its end._

_However, instead, the snake just stayed there, by it. _

_It made me think of what it is to trust someone. _

_I hope you are healing well. Your mother tells me that you are. Please write to me if you can. Sigfrid will deliver your letter to me. If not, do not worry, I will continue to write to you. _

_Yuulmenieva’aery.” _

It had been written quickly, Loki noticed. With urgence. He felt like each word had clasped his heart tightly. 

He put the letter down, holding his head in his hand. 

Yuulmenieva’aery was free, then. The relief of that comforted him greatly. His father hadn’t decided he was too big of a threat. 

The old fool.

Not feeling particularly hungry, Loki lay back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. He thought over the letter, then grabbed it again, holding it above him. He read it through about ten times, trying to see if there were any hidden messages inside. He quickly came to the realisation there wasn’t anything. It was exactly as it read, perfectly innocent. 

Except, then he thought of what exactly Yuul had said.

A bird, a snake. Trust.

Asgard was home to many beautiful birds, as well as snakes. In fact, Loki used to disguise as one to trick his brother. However, he wondered if Yuul had truly seen what he described or if he was making up a story as a way to tell Loki to trust him. 

Could Loki trust him? 

He didn’t know. 

It wasn’t that he thought Yuul would betray him out of maliciousness. It was more that he didn’t know if he could trust Yuul to make the right choices. If he knew anything of his father, he knew that he would still be keeping a watchful eye on Yuul.

Yet, evidently Yuul was already getting friendly with the servants. Any one of them could be a spy! Loki groaned. 

Yuul wasn’t an idiot. He knew that. Yet… He did not think Yuul was used to situations like this. 

He read over the letter for an eleventh time, gently brushing his fingers over it, picturing how Yuul would have looked writing it. Whenever he concentrated, his face would go completely stern, brows furrowed and eyes fixed on whatever it was he was doing. He wondered if that’s how he’d looked. 

He thought of how Yuul had likened him to the sun. Was he that? He had never thought about himself like that. The sun was something that was so bright, associated with light, with beauty, with life. Loki was none of these things, surely.


	32. Another

Yuul was waiting in the gardens, hoping to catch Sigfrid soon. 

He had been waiting quite a while now, which he didn’t mind. He spent most of his time in the gardens anyway. Not only was he surrounded by nature, it was also quiet here. People rarely seemed to be around the gardens, at least in this specific part. He had encountered Thor once, however, Thor had seemed troubled by seeing Yuul and had clearly quickened his step to avoid talking with him.

Not that Yuul particularly cared. 

He gazed into his reflection in the water.

Yuulmenieva’aery was lonely. 

Lonely for Loki and Loki only. 

He did not care about lacking company with anyone else. It was Loki he wanted to be around. He missed when he was used to it. When he expected to wake up with Loki either beside him or waiting for him outside of their tent. 

Yuul heard footsteps behind him and looked around, seeing that it was Sigfrid. He sighed in relief and stood. 

“Sigfrid.”

She smiled at him, a little nervous looking and walked towards him. Then, suddenly, she threw her arms around him, embracing him tightly.  
“Be careful. I think I was followed,” she whispered in his ear, which she had to stand on her tiptoes to do. 

Yuul nodded and put his arms around her too, pressing her into him. It had to look like they were just hugging. 

Then, Sigfrid pulled away. Her face looked red. 

Yuul smiled and discreetly slid the next letter he had written into her sleeve. She met his eyes, then smiled. 

“Has work been hard today?” he asked. 

“Very.” She sighed. “In fact, I need to get back to it… I’m sorry, Yuul.” 

“That is alright. I hope it gets easier on you.” 

“Thanks!” Sigfrid turned from him, so swift that her braid was almost like a whip. She walked away, her step quick. 

Yuul stayed there, his eyes darting around for any other movement. Was she really being followed? Had someone caught onto them that fast? Surely not. They had been so careful… Perhaps Yuul was a fool for thinking they’d be safe. 

After a while, he hadn’t noticed anything. So, he sat back down, hands folded in his lap. He looked at the band around his wrist, wishing that it would just disappear. He wished his stare alone could disintegrate it. That he’d be able to feel his magic once more. He wondered how Loki felt. Surely they had stunted his use of magic too. 

Then, Yuul remembered that he still had his sceptre. 

He’d hidden it in the room he was staying in. Loki probably thought that it had been lost back on earth. He thought about finding a way of taking it to him, yet decided anything would be too risky. Then, he considered making use of it himself. After all, even with stunted magic, surely that stone was powerful enough to still be useful.  
He stood up. He should go and see, perhaps. Although… He needed to be sure that no one would find out about it. That would make it tricky. 

Yuul took a deep breath and began to walk towards the castle entrance. He wanted to at least look at the sceptre. He’d be able to sense its power, at least to a certain degree, surely. The few times he had it before, he had felt something strong. 

His mind shifted to Loki again. He hadn’t written to Yuul. Whilst he’d expected it, something about it still managed to sting. Was he angry at him? No, no, surely it was only a safety precaution. It was silly to be worrying about feelings right now, anyway. 

“Where are you off to?” He heard a voice say. Yuul spun around, seeing that it was the red-haired woman. He frowned. 

“I am going back inside,” he said, making sure to sound like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Which it was, really.

She smirked. “Might I accompany you?”

Yuul stared at her. “No.”  
“Well, aren’t you sweet?” She leaned back against the wall, her crimson hair almost looking like two rivers of blood running over her shoulders. “I must say, you have the whole… Sweet, innocent, heartbroken little maiden thing going for you. Well… Without the maiden part.”

Yuul narrowed his eyes. “I can be a maiden if I feel like it, thank you.” He stopped. “Besides that… What… What are you talking about?” 

“Oh, I just see right through you. It’s alright, I’m not going to tell.” She put a finger to her lips.

“There is nothing to see through.” 

“Oh, please. Calm yourself. I just said I’m not going to tell. I just… Think you are quite interesting, is all.” With that, she moved closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I could let you in on a secret, if you wanted. Make it fair.” 

Yuul glared, pushing her hand off. “I said that there is nothing. If you continue with this, I will tell the allfather.” He cringed at his own words, yet kept his expression hard. 

She stared at him and then laughed. “Fine, continue with your act! Truly though, I am a friend!” She hushed her voice into a whisper, leaning in. “I’m not from here either.” 

He met her eyes, surprised. 

“You… You are a serving girl,” he said, disbelief in his voice.

“Yes, brilliant disguise, is it not?” She giggled. “Look at the look on your face!” 

Frustrated and unsure of what to do, Yuul pushed past her, continuing on into the castle. He made his way down the hall, took a turn and then stopped, resting against the wall. He put a hand to his forehead, trying to take in what he’d just been told.  
Who was she?

She did not feel like a friend.

After gathering himself, he peaked around the corner, checking to see if he’d been followed at all. Seeing that the halls were clear, he continued on his way to his room, after walking around the castle first for good measure.

Once he got there, he sat down on the bed and sighed, deeply. He didn’t know what to do. He briefly considered reporting her, that way he could get into Odin’s good graces. However… She would absolutely tell them about the letters, so…

Yuul decided the only thing he could really do was keep an eye on her.

He ran his fingers through his hair, then found they got snagged on a plait. He began to undo them, his mind still on the encounter earlier. Once his hair was freed, he lay back on the bed. 

Then, he remembered what he’d originally wanted to do. 

He sat up, quietly making his way to the door and listening out for any movement outside. Then, carefully, he opened it and peered out, finding there was no one anywhere near. Satisfied, he closed the door and went to the bed, kneeling down on the floor and reaching under it. 

His fingers brushed the sceptre. From it, he felt the power. Strong, yet sickening. He pulled his hand back.

No, he didn’t want to try it today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being gone for a bit, guys! Also, sorry this chapter isn't perhaps the most exciting, been out of it. Will try to make the next one extra good! :)


	33. Second Letter

Loki stared at the letter that lay on his bedside table.

He had been staring at it for a long time. At least, it felt like a long time. Sigfrid had brought it in with breakfast. 

For some reason that he himself could not place, he dreaded opening it. 

Perhaps it wasn’t opening it. Perhaps it was more a fear of how the contents would make him feel. 

He was getting better. In fact, he was sure that he could manage just fine now. In this situation, that was not a good thing. The second Odin found out was the second he would be thrown into prison. He had to keep his mind clear. Think of a way he could get out of this. 

His magic had been completely blocked. It would stay blocked until he was put in his cell. There, he would only have enough magic to create illusions to occupy himself. Nothing more. 

He had ran through this a thousand times already. 

Now, he was sure he would escape. Eventually. No one had been able to keep him down for long. 

It was Yuulmenieva’aery that worried him. He wasn’t sure how to keep another person safe. He had never learned. 

Loki’s eyes flickered back onto the letter. 

He snatched it up. 

“Well, Yuul... Let me see what you have to say,” he said to himself as he opened it.

~♚~ 

Yuul stared out of the window, watching as a bird hopped along the sill. It had golden wings that shimmered in the morning sunlight and when it noticed him, it chirped a greeting.

“Hello,” Yuul said in response, softly. 

“You understand me,” the bird said.

“I do.”

“How curious!” the bird exclaimed, before opening its wings and flying away. Yuul frowned, disappointed at the lack of company. 

He rolled onto his back. He had been awake around two hours now, just lying with his thoughts. 

Yuul knew what he had to do. It filled him with dread. This whole time, he had been bracing himself, he supposed. It was important, for Loki’s sake. Yet, that was exactly what scared him. What if it was no help at all? What if he wasn’t strong enough to use it? What if he got found out? 

He had to, though. 

Yuul thought of Loki. 

He sat up. For a moment, he just stayed like that, taking deep breaths. 

The sceptre was just underneath his bed. So close… Yet, still, it felt like a big task to slip out of bed, kneel down and reach underneath to take it.

The moment his fingers brushed it, he felt a surge of energy, strong. It willed him closer. It reached inside of him and grappled with his own powers. 

He was touching the stone, he realised, a little too late. He felt his eyes prickle with power. A surge of energy shot from the sceptre and into his hand, sending a wave of pain through him.

Yuul yanked his hand away, biting back a cry of pain. He held his hand up, wincing at the sight of the tips of his fingers. They were painfully marked by it. 

Yuul breathed in. It only reacted that way because he was touching the stone. He would not make the same mistake. Breathing out, he reached under the bed and grabbed the sceptre, pulling it out. 

It was beautiful. That was Yuul’s first thought. 

Beautiful in a deadly way. Beautiful in the way that it could bring death to many within seconds. 

The stone glowed. He swore he saw movement inside of it. Curious, Yuul leaned in, concentrating on it. 

At first, he thought it was only a reflection. That was until he saw that Loki was with him in it. There they both were, in shades of blue. Loki’s arms were around Yuul. He was smiling, although it didn’t look quite right. 

‘I can have this,’ Yuul thought. ‘If I use this correctly, I can have that.’

The image swirled, then faded. Then, taking its place, were visions of destruction. Asgard in chaos. 

Yuul’s thoughts swirled along with it. 

‘I should attack them. I can free Loki that way. We will be together then. Loki will love me.’

He shook his head, tearing his eyes from the stone. 

“Why am I thinking such things? I do not… Want to harm anyone.” He frowned. “Loki would not love me, either way.” 

He looked at the stone again. It was him again, with Loki. They looked happy together… For a moment, Yuul almost reached out to touch the stone, before he remembered what had happened only minutes ago. 

‘I can have Loki. I need to be more powerful. Stronger.’

The thoughts were loud, intrusive. Yuul began to think they were not truly his at all.

‘Kill Odin. Kill them all. Loki will love me then.’

Yuul stared at the stone. “You… You are making me think these things. Trying to trick me into wanting these things.” 

He didn’t want these things.

He didn’t.

Did he?

He held the sceptre up. He felt like his mind was shrieking for death, for destruction, for love.

Yuul thought of Loki. How he had looked at the sceptre during their talks. How he would often respond to things explosively when he held it. How violent and destructive he could be. Just what control did this sceptre have over him during his time with it? 

Yuulmenieva’aery couldn’t use this sceptre. There was no telling where it would take him. He was sure it would travel to all dark corners of his mind, every part of him that he had trained himself to keep down for years. Every instinct his father had installed within him since birth. Yuul didn’t trust himself with his own powers, nevermind this.

He nodded at it, smiled and stood up. He grabbed one of his capes and put it on, securing the sceptre at his back so it was hidden. 

This sceptre was not to be trusted. 

That could be exactly what Loki needs.

~♚~ 

_ “Loki, sunshine of my dark, _

_Not a day goes by where I do not think of you. Not a minute even. You play upon my thoughts with every breath I take. _

_I miss you. I wish, deeply, that it would have never come to any of this. I wish to have our life together, away from pain. I do not know if anything you told me was true. I do know that I love you. That our love was real._

_I also know that it will be okay. That we will be okay. _

_One day. _

_Yours forever, Yuulmenieva’aery.” _

Loki stared at it. 

We will be okay.

Yours forever. 

He didn’t understand. He folded the letter up and tucked it into his robe. He hoped these letters weren’t genuine. He hoped they were just part of Yuul’s plan, nothing more. 

However, Loki wasn’t given much time to mull it over.

The door to his room opened, no knocking or anything beforehand. Standing in the doorway was a guard, with two guards behind. 

“Well, that was rather rude of you to come in without knocking.” Loki commented. “I could have been getting dressed, you know.”

The guard just stared at him, face completely blank. “The Allfather has ordered that you come and see him. Come with us.”

Loki considered making a snarky comment but decided that he didn’t have the energy. He stood up and followed the guards. Whilst keeping a cool attitude, deep down he felt his stomach was in knots. He couldn’t stop thinking about Yuul. What if he had gotten into trouble?

Where would Odin send Yuul once he was imprisoned? 

Would he ever see Yuul again? 

As his eyes fell on the doors to the throne room, Loki swallowed. He had only received two letters from Yuul and they might be the last bit of communication he would ever get. He had never sent a letter back. He should have. He wished he had. 

The doors opened and he walked inside, immediately pushing his feelings down when he saw the Allfather.

“Loki,” Odin addressed him, his tone hardened and cold.

Loki cracked a grin. “Hello, _ father.” _


	34. No Help

Yuul was heading straight for the throne room. In his head, he imagined what he should say. He’d pretend to be ignorant to what the sceptre was, of course. Perhaps say that Loki had given it to him and he thought it was nothing more than a strange gift. Maybe he had found it in some of Loki’s belongings. Anything.

After all, if he had malicious intentions, why would he be handing it straight to Odin himself? 

He rounded the corner and almost collided with Frigga. Caught off guard, Yuul quickly scrambled to put his act back on. “I am sorry, my lady!” he bowed his head. “I did not know you were there.”

When he looked up at her, he saw that her expression was one of distress. Yuul frowned. His heart sank.

“Is… Everything okay, lady Frigga?” he asked. 

“Oh, Yuul! I… Well… Loki’s wounds have healed sufficiently and… Well…” She looked down, sadness in her eyes. “He is to be placed in the dungeons… For the rest of his years. I am sorry, Yuulmenieva’aery.” 

Relief hit him. For one dreadful moment, he had wondered if it was much worse than he had planned. It was just the dungeons! He would have Loki out in no time. 

He shook his head, quickly. “N-No! No, Loki does not deserve to be a prisoner!” 

“I’m sorry… There was nothing more I could do. Odin would have had him executed if it weren’t for my persuading him not to-”

“Wait! Lady Frigga… I… Forgive me but… Truly, I do not think any of it was his fault. I… I think he was being manipulated by a force stronger than himself.” 

Frigga stared at him, her eyes full of pity. “How do you mean?” 

“W-Well…” Yuulmenieva’aery took a deep breath, reaching around and grabbing the sceptre. Once he showed her this, he’d lose it for good. 

There wasn’t any other way.

He took it out, flinching a little as the force within it shot through him. It made him hunger for his own power. He ignored it the best he could.

Frigga’s eyes widened. “What is that?”

“L-Loki…” Yuul stammered a little, cursing himself inwardly as he did, “Loki carried it everywhere a-and just before… We came here… He g-gave it to me. I forgot about it until this morning… And when I touched it, well, it… I could feel it trying to take over my mind! It… It was horrendous… I hate to think what effect it would have had on Loki.” 

Frigga stared at it, then quickly reached out, taking it in her hands. “It… This is an infinity stone…”

Yuul blinked at her. “What?”

“An infinity stone. No wonder you felt such power from it and… And Loki… I fear what you say might be true.” She frowned. 

“No… No! Do you not see? This is good! He can be freed!” 

Frigga only looked sadder. “It is not that simple…” 

Yuul had to take a moment to compose himself. “Surely… A trial would be in order? I-It is not… It is not fair to just lock him up when we do not know how much any of it was his fault!” 

“Yes… But Loki did things before… Before getting this.” 

“Still! Still, he deserves a trial. He deserves a chance at change. Please.” 

Frigga let out a sad sigh, slowly nodding her head. “Alright. I will take this to Odin and plead that he gives Loki a trial. We have not had a trial for… A very long time. I am unsure if my husband still values them at all.”

“He should,” Yuul said, rather without thinking. Thankfully, Frigga didn’t seem to pay it much mind. She gave him one pat on the shoulder, which he was sure was meant to be reassuring and then she left. 

Yuul watched her go. He wondered if he’d made the right choice. He began to regret it. Then, he didn’t. 

That sceptre was bad. If he could get Loki to play along, they could blame everything on the sceptre. 

Well… Apart from whatever Loki had done before that. 

Yuul groaned and leaned back against the wall, dragging a hand through his hair. He then growled in frustration. Loki really had made this so very difficult. 

“Having problems?” he heard a voice say. He turned, seeing that the red-haired woman was standing beside him. He glared.

“What do you want?” he asked. 

“I want to help!” 

“If you think I trust that for a second then you are mistaken.” Yuul went to leave, except when he turned, he found that she was now standing right in front of him. He almost fell over as he stumbled back. “How-How did you…?!”

“Teleportation, obviously.” She laughed. “What? Can’t you teleport?”

“I have never tried. How are you able to use your powers?” 

She held both of her wrists up, revealing them to be completely bare. “To them, I’m just an asgardian serving girl, lacking in powers and lacking in personality. Nothing but background noise.” Then, suddenly, she disappeared again, only to appear behind him and tap him on the shoulder. “Complete, utter casualness is the best disguise.” 

“Then… Why are you here? What business do you have?” Yuul asked, his voice hushed now.

She sighed. “Well, is that important? I want to help you. I don’t even expect anything in return! Simply out of the kindness of my own heart.”

Yuul thought about it. 

No. He didn’t trust this. 

He shouldn’t. 

“Stay away from me.” He turned, finding that she let him leave.

Still, though, the thought of her powers stayed in his mind. No, no, he couldn’t trust her. He had everything under control.


	35. Hoping

Loki turned the page of the book he was holding, his eyes darting across the writing. However, despite how much he ran his eyes over the words, he wasn’t really able to take them in. He caught snippets here and there. For example, he knew that the protagonist was looking for a dragon. Except, when he read back a little, he realised he had completely missed that the protagonist had met a new character, a princess. 

He’d never had troubles reading in the past. Loki could get through several books in a day with enough time on his hands. Except… His mind kept moving away. 

It was Yuulmenieva’aery. Ever since the day before, when he’d been thrown into this cell, Yuul had been the only thing on his mind. Loki spent hours cursing himself for never writing a letter whilst he had a chance. Now, he would never see him again.

It wasn’t even that Loki was going to be here forever. Despite his father saying he would, he knew he would free himself somehow. It was that Yuul would likely be taken somewhere else. It could be anywhere, an entirely new realm, the furthest planet, anywhere! Perhaps he would even be killed. Loki's stomach dropped at the thought. Surely not...

He put the book down, hissing in frustration. 

He hated his father. Truly hated him.

Loki heard the doors to the prison room open. Quickly, he stood up, looking to see who it was. He gasped when his eyes landed on Yuulmenieva’aery, who walked beside his mother. 

“Y-Yuul?” He blinked. He really could not believe it. “What are you doing here?”

Yuul ran to Loki, putting his hand against the glass. “Loki! Loki, you are getting a trial!” 

“What?”

“You are getting a trial! It is going to be okay! We will get you out of here…” 

Loki frowned, putting his hand against Yuul’s through the glass. “How? Yuul, I…”

Yuul paused, looking anxious for a moment. He sighed, then smiled again. “I… Loki, I know that… That sceptre was influencing your mind. I know.” His eyes darted to the side for a moment, where Frigga stood. “I… I know that everything you did was because of the sceptre. Yes?”

Loki’s heart sank. “Yuul, what did you do with the sceptre?” he asked in a hushed voice, tone serious. 

However, Yuul didn’t respond. “Everything you did was because of the sceptre, that makes you innocent! Do you see? We are getting you out of here! It is going to be okay…”

He narrowed his eyes. “Yuulmenieva’aery, where is the sceptre?” 

“I gave it to your mother,” he said. “I had to show her-”

“You did what?!” Loki snapped. 

Yuul’s eyes widened a little. “Loki… The stone in it, it was doing things to you…” 

“No.” Loki shook his head. “I am fine. I was fine. Yuul, I need that sceptre!” 

Frigga stepped in. “Loki... My goodness, are you still feeling the effects?” Her voice was soft. It made him feel like a child. He glared.

He then looked at Yuul, who was looking at him with pleading eyes.

“I… Are you… Really going to put on a trial for me?” he asked. 

She nodded. “Yes! Yes, Loki, it is only right if we do. I will try my hardest to convince your father to let you go…” 

Loki sighed, holding back the anger he still felt burning within him. “Very well.”

Yuulmenieva’aery smiled at him. “Trust me,” he mouthed. 

Loki nodded his head. He wished his mother would leave so they could talk properly. 

Damn it all. 

He felt nothing but great inner conflict as he watched Yuulmenieva’aery and Frigga leave the prison room. However, anything he did now wouldn’t matter. Yuul had already handed them the sceptre. Loki would just put Yuul in danger if he didn’t play along. He sighed. 

Bitterly, he began to wish Yuul had just been dropped off in another realm. He’d be better off, never having to be involved with Loki again. Loki could go back to his life, being alone. Doing… He didn’t even know what he would do after this. Everything else had failed. These days, Loki was just… Tired.

He would miss Yuul though, certainly. 

Loki closed his eyes, finding tears slipping out from between his eyelids, even though he did not know why.

~♚~ 

Yuulmenieva’aery lay back on the grass, staring up at the light blue sky above. He observed the clouds, which floated by slowly. They were a pale lavender colour, with the slightest hints of iridescence. Beautiful, he thought. 

He lifted a hand, looking at the metal band around his wrist. 

After Loki’s trial… Would they stay here? 

He didn’t think he could handle his powers being stunted in this way for much longer. Loki would absolutely not want to stay here, too. 

Perhaps it might make things more in their favour if Yuul made it a point that they wanted to move far away from here. Never to be seen again. 

Yes… Yes, he would do that. 

Yuul continued to think, coming up with things he could say. Where he would cry. Then, he thought of being able to be with Loki after.  
He should tell him… Tell him that he loves him. Even if Loki would never return his feelings. He wanted him to know.

Footsteps caught his attention and he sat up, seeing that Thor was approaching him. He seemed troubled. Yuul felt a clench in his chest. Has something happened?

Thor rested against the tree, folding his arms. “Yuul.”

“Thor.”

“So… My brother… He is getting a trial now?”

Yuul nodded. “Yes.”

“Asgard has not had a trial in… A very, very long time.” 

Yuul frowned. “Maybe you should have them more often. It is fair.”

Thor sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I suppose my father does not like to listen to others..." He shifted from where he was and instead sat down next to Yuul. “Yuul… I must know, if my brother is released, what will you do? What are you intentions?”

“To go as far away as possible.” 

“I am certain my father will order Loki banished at the absolute best.” 

“Yes. We will not be coming back either way,” Yuul said, a little sharply. 

“That is for the best.” Thor sighed. “I do think… I must warn you, my brother, even before getting his hands on that infinity stone… He-”

“Yes, I am aware he did things wrong before that. I know. I do not care. He does not deserve eternal imprisonment.”

“I am in agreement, of course. I… I love my brother, truly, I do. I just want you to be aware that this will not be easy.” With that, Thor stood up. He began to walk away, however, he stopped. “You will have my support through this trial.” Then, he was gone.

Yuul closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. 

He had to win.

**Author's Note:**

> My version of Loki is somewhat of a combination of comics Loki and MCU Loki, although, we will mostly be going off of the events in the MCU. I would imagine this is Loki just after Thor and Avengers.
> 
> I update on the weekend, Saturday or Sunday. 
> 
> If you are interested in what Yuulmenieva'aery, this planet, these aliens and everything looks like, I post a lot of fanart on my Instagram (@akiramoonart), my DeviantArt (@akirayue) and my Twitter (@yueseraph) be sure to check those out!


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